What it is
The raw material for sugar mills, gur and khandsari units and juice bars. Cane must be crushed within a day or two of cutting.
Early-maturing and mid-late varieties (recovery % matters)
Where India produces it
- Uttar Pradesh
2023-24: 215.81 million tonnes (47.62% of India)
- Maharashtra
2023-24: 112.09 million tonnes (24.73% of India)
- Karnataka
2023-24: 41.81 million tonnes (9.23% of India)
- Tamil Nadu
2023-24: 15.93 million tonnes (3.51% of India)
- Gujarat
2023-24: 14.48 million tonnes (3.2% of India)
Where imports come from
Not traded across borders; grown and crushed locally.
Rules before you buy or sell
- The Centre fixes the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) mills must pay for cane under the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966; many states add a State Advised Price.
- States reserve cane areas for each mill; a new gur or khandsari unit must check state cane-area rules.
Businesses that use it
Jaggery (Gur) Making →Bottled Sugarcane Juice Plant →Brown Sugar Manufacturing (Small Cane Unit) →