The sugarcane crushing season in Punjab, India, ended in March, but farmers are still waiting for payments totaling nearly ₹250 crore due to delays in state subsidies for private sugar mills. The Punjab government has set a state advised price (SAP) of ₹416 per quintal, one of the highest in India, with a subsidy of ₹68.5 per quintal to assist private mills. However, the rising input costs, with production costs estimated at ₹450 per quintal, have left farmers dissatisfied. This season, Punjab produced around 500 lakh quintals of sugarcane, a decline of nearly 20% from last year, which contributed to early mill closures. Of the total payments, private mills have disbursed around ₹1,000 crore, while approximately ₹250 crore remains unpaid. In the cooperative sector, ₹392 crore has been paid, but ₹303 crore is still owed. State officials have acknowledged the pending dues and are working to resolve the issue, with ₹62 crore already sanctioned for private mills and an additional ₹172 crore requisitioned for approval.