Haryana has raised the incentive for sugarcane farmers who adopt modern planting methods to Rs 5,000 per acre, up from Rs 3,000 per acre earlier. Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana announced the higher incentive under the state’s Sugarcane Technology Mission after chairing a departmental review meeting. The increase applies to two methods: planting sugarcane in wide rows with four-foot spacing, and sowing sugarcane through the single-bud method, in which individual buds are planted instead of traditional setts.
Farmers who want to claim the revised incentive can apply through the government portal from 15 October 2026 to 31 December 2026. After applications are received, fields will be physically verified, and the incentive amount will be released to eligible farmers by the end of February 2027. The application window is therefore open now, and growers who have already adopted these methods in the current season should apply within the window rather than waiting until the last days, when portal traffic is usually heaviest.
The wide-row method means leaving four feet between rows of sugarcane, compared with the narrower spacing used in traditional planting. Wider rows make it easier for sunlight and air to reach the crop, allow machinery to move through the field, and make intercropping and harvesting simpler. The single-bud method uses one healthy bud at a time, which reduces the quantity of seed cane needed and helps farmers raise a more uniform crop. Both methods are promoted under the Sugarcane Technology Mission because they are meant to raise productivity while bringing down cultivation costs over time.
The minister also said that saplings for the new planting methods will be prepared by the Karnal Cooperative Sugar Mill, and farmers will be able to procure them from October 2026 to December 2026. This links the incentive directly to the supply of planting material, so that growers adopting wide-row or single-bud planting are not left searching for suitable seed cane on their own. Cooperative sugar mills have a central role in this work, since they work closely with cane growers in their command areas and handle much of the day-to-day contact with farmers.
The incentive hike sits alongside other recent support for Haryana’s cane growers. The state government has already announced a higher State Advised Price for sugarcane for the 2026-27 season, and Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has laid out a plan to modernise the state’s cooperative sugar mills with better machinery, mechanised harvesting and higher sugar recovery. Taken together, the price support, the modernisation plan and the planting incentive are aimed at making sugarcane cultivation more remunerative and less labour-intensive for Haryana’s farmers.
Farmers interested in the Rs 5,000 per acre incentive should check their eligibility with their local agriculture department or the concerned cooperative sugar mill, keep their field and application details ready, and apply through the portal before 31 December 2026. Physical verification will follow the application, so growers should ensure that the planting method recorded in their application matches the method actually used in the field.
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