Assistance Towards Sugarcane Supplied By The Sugarcane Growers

What is the Assistance Towards Sugarcane Supplied By The Sugarcane Growers scheme?

Assistance Towards Sugarcane Supplied By The Sugarcane Growers is a state sector scheme of the Government of Goa, introduced by the Directorate of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture, through Notification No. 3/Crops & PP/41/Sp.Asst.Sugarcane/25-26/D.Agri/134 dated 2 May 2025, published in the Official Gazette, Series I No. 7, dated 15 May 2025.

The stated objective is a single sentence: to assist the sugarcane growers to take up sugarcane cultivation in the State of Goa. Goa's sugarcane belt is small and concentrated inland, around Dharbandora and the neighbouring talukas, and the state's only sugar co-operative; Sanjivani Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd (SSSKL) at Dayanandnagar, Dharbandora: is the single delivery point for the crop. The scheme is built entirely around that route: the farmer grows the cane, delivers it to SSSKL, and the Government pays on the weight recorded there.

The notification replaced an earlier scheme. Clause 8 of the 2025 notification withdrew the scheme "Special Assistance for Sugarcane Grower", notified on 10 June 2021 and published in Official Gazette Series I No. 12 dated 17 June 2021. Farmers who applied under the older scheme should note that the current entitlement runs from this newer notification.

How much money does a sugarcane grower get?

The Goa notification does not fix its own rupee rate. Clause 4 instead adopts a national benchmark:

Sugarcane cultivated by farmers is supplied at SSSKL, Dayanandnagar, weighed there, and financial assistance is provided as per the Fair & Remunerative Price (FRP) fixed by the National Federation of Co-operative Sugar Factories Ltd., New Delhi, from time to time.

Two consequences follow for a grower planning a season.

1. There is no ceiling. The payment scales with tonnage, so a larger delivery means a proportionately larger payment. There is no per-farmer cap in the notification.
2. The rate is not fixed by Goa and can change. Because the FRP is set by the National Federation "from time to time", the rate applying to your crop is the one prevailing for that season. Ask the Zonal Agricultural Office or SSSKL for the current FRP before you budget.

Clause 5(iii) fixes the measurement basis precisely: farmers will be paid based on the actual tonnage of canes weighed at the sugar factory weighbridge. The weighbridge slip, not a field estimate, is what the payment rests on.

Who can and cannot claim this assistance?

You can claim if:

• You are a farmer cultivating sugarcane in the State of Goa. Clause 3(i) brings all such farmers within the scheme.
• You possess a valid Krishi Card issued by the Directorate of Agriculture (clause 3(ii)). This is the non-negotiable document.
• Your sugarcane area has been verified by representatives of the Zonal Agriculture Office of your taluka together with the fieldman of SSSKL, and an area certificate has been issued to you (clause 3(iii)).
• Your harvested cane has been inspected by the fieldman of SSSKL or a representative of the Agriculture Department, with you present (clause 3(iv)).
• You load and bring the harvested cane to SSSKL, Dayanandnagar, Dharbandora, at your own cost (clause 3(v)).

You cannot apply, and are not eligible to claim, if:

• You do not hold a valid Krishi Card. There is no alternative document named in the notification.
• Your sugarcane area was never verified and no area certificate was issued.
• You did not register with SSSKL in the registration window.
• You supplied the cane somewhere other than SSSKL. The whole payment mechanism runs off the SSSKL weighbridge slip.
• You expect the Government or SSSKL to harvest or transport your cane. Clause 5(v) states plainly that neither takes any responsibility for harvesting or transport, and clause 3(v) puts the cost of loading and delivery on the farmer.

How to apply for sugarcane supply assistance in Goa

1. Get or renew your Krishi Card. The Krishi Card is issued by the Directorate of Agriculture and is the gateway document for this and most other Goa agriculture schemes. Do this before the season, not after harvest.
2. Register with SSSKL. Clause 5(ii) provides that SSSKL shall register the farmers cultivating sugarcane, and fixed May 2025 as the registration month for the first year of the two-year scheme. Approach Sanjivani Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd at Dayanandnagar, Dharbandora, or your Zonal Agriculture Office, at the start of May.
3. Get your sugarcane area verified. Representatives of the Zonal Agriculture Office of your taluka, together with the SSSKL fieldman, verify the area and an area certificate is issued to you. Keep the original safe.
4. Harvest the cane yourself and have it inspected. The harvested cane is inspected by the SSSKL fieldman or an Agriculture Department representative in your presence.
5. Load and deliver the cane to SSSKL, Dayanandnagar, Dharbandora, at your own cost. Collect the weighbridge slip at delivery, this is the document your payment is calculated from.
6. Sign the GAR 32 form. SSSKL submits the details of farmers who supplied cane, along with the weigh slips and your duly signed GAR 32, to the respective Zonal Agricultural Office.
7. Let the office chain run. The Zonal Agricultural Officer verifies and forwards the list with a recommendation to the District Agricultural Office; the District Agricultural Officer verifies the claims and issues the Sanction Order.
8. Receive the payment. The assistance is drawn and disbursed to farmers by the respective Zonal Agricultural Officer, based on the Sanction Order issued by the District Agricultural Officer.

How do I check the status of my claim?

The claim moves through four identifiable stages, and each has a named officer you can approach:

1. SSSKL — registration, weighbridge slip, submission of your details, weigh slips and GAR 32 to the Zonal Agricultural Office.
2. Zonal Agricultural Office of your taluka: verification of the submitted details and forwarding of the list with a recommendation.
3. District Agricultural Office, verification of claims and issue of the Sanction Order.
4. Zonal Agricultural Officer again: drawing and disbursing the money against that Sanction Order.

If a payment is delayed, establish which of these four stages it is sitting at before escalating. Keep your own copies of the weighbridge slips, the area certificate and the signed GAR 32, because the office chain works from SSSKL's consolidated submission rather than from an individual application by you.

What are the common reasons a claim fails?

• No valid Krishi Card, or a Krishi Card that has lapsed.
• No area certificate, because the plot was never verified jointly by the Zonal Agriculture Office and the SSSKL fieldman.
• Not registered with SSSKL during the registration month.
• Cane not inspected by the SSSKL fieldman or an Agriculture Department representative before delivery.
• Missing or unsigned GAR 32. SSSKL cannot forward a claim without the farmer's duly signed form.
• A mismatch between the verified area and the tonnage delivered, which will hold the claim at the Zonal or District verification stage.
• Cane delivered outside the scheme route. The assistance attaches to cane weighed at the SSSKL weighbridge.

Where do I raise a grievance about this scheme?

The notification names two officers explicitly.

• Interpretation. Clause 7 provides that if any question arises regarding the interpretation of any clause, word or expression of the scheme, the decision lies with the Director of Agriculture, and that decision is final and binding on all concerned.
• Grievances and disputes. Clause 8 provides that grievances arising out of the implementation of the scheme shall be heard and decided by the Minister for Agriculture, whose decision is final and binding on all concerned.

There is also a relaxation route. Clause 6 helps the Minister of Agriculture to relax any or all clauses or conditions of the scheme in genuine cases, though the release of financial assistance in such a case is considered only with the approval of the Finance (Expenditure) Department.

Start with your Zonal Agricultural Office, escalate to the District Agricultural Office, then to the Directorate of Agriculture, Government of Goa, at agri.goa.gov.in.

Key facts to remember

• Assistance Towards Sugarcane Supplied By The Sugarcane Growers is a Goa state sector scheme of the Directorate of Agriculture.
• It was notified on 2 May 2025 and runs for two years, 2025-26 and 2026-27.
• Payment is at the Fair and Remunerative Price fixed by the National Federation of Co-operative Sugar Factories Ltd, New Delhi.
• The amount is calculated on the actual tonnage weighed at the SSSKL weighbridge.
• A valid Krishi Card is mandatory.
• SSSKL registers cultivating farmers in the month of May.
• The farmer harvests, loads and transports the cane at their own cost.
• The Zonal Agricultural Officer disburses the money against a District Agricultural Officer's Sanction Order.
• The scheme superseded the 2021 "Special Assistance for Sugarcane Grower" scheme.