As UP’s sugar output plunges, hopes on a new cane variety

As UP's sugar output plunges, hopes on a new cane variety The state's beleaguered industry looks at a promising replacement for the once-blockbuster, now fungal disease-susceptible Co-0238 variety.

Key points

• 7 min read New Delhi Sep 28, 2026 05: 51 AM IST.
• The industry is now pinning hopes on a new variety developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research's Sugarcane Breeding Institute (ICAR-SBI) at Coimbatore.
• The primary reason has been the susceptibility of the widely-cultivated sugarcane variety, Co-0238 (additionally called Karan 4), to red rot fungal disease.

Notably, the industry is now pinning hopes on a new variety developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research's Sugarcane Breeding Institute (ICAR-SBI) at Coimbatore. (File Photo).

Uttar Pradesh, India's top cane growing state, has seen its sugar output plummet from 126.4 lakh tonnes (lt) to 89.5 lt between 2019-20 and 2025-26 (October-September production years).

Notably, the primary reason has been the susceptibility of the widely-cultivated sugarcane variety, Co-0238 (additionally called Karan 4), to red rot fungal disease.

In practice, the resultant yield losses have additionally led to the total quantity of cane crushed by UP's 120-odd sugar mills – the state is slated to go for Assembly polls in February-March 2027 – falling by over a fifth in the last six years. A new variety of hope.

For now, as UP's sugar output plunges, hopes on a new cane variety remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.