New Delhi: Sugarcane arrears to be paid by mills to farmers for the 2021-22 season are at a five-year low, the Indian Express reported, citing government data.According to the latest data available with the department of food and public distribution, sugarcane worth Rs 1.18 lakh crore was procured from farmers during the 2021-22 season. Of this, Rs 1.12 lakh crore has been paid till September 30 – leaving Rs 5,910 crore in dues, which is only 5% of the amount payable.“The cane arrears are about Rs 6,000 crore, which is the lowest as compared to the arrears as on September 30 during the previous years. Apart from this, the agriculture ministry has improved varieties of sugarcane due to which yield and recovery have improved. Now, the recovery is about 11%,” Subodh Kumar Singh, joint secretary, department of food and public distribution, told the daily.He attributed the lowest level in arrears to a “record production of ethanol and export of sugar”.Under the government’s ethanol blending programme, at least 20.07 lakh million tonnes (LMT) of sugarcane was diverted for ethanol making in 2020-21. About 302 crore litres of ethanol was supplied to oil marketing companies (OMCs) in 2020-21 – which is historically the highest, government data shows.In 2021-22, about 35 lakh metric tonnes of sugarcane has been diverted for ethanol making, Singh told the daily. The government’s roadmap for ethanol blending in India plans to achieve a 20% ethanol blending target by 2025 using sugarcane and food grains.Also read: With the Climate Crisis On, E10 Might Be India’s Ethanol-Blending Sweet SpotAdditionally, India’s sugar exports surged 291% to $4.6 billion in the financial year (FY) 2021-2022 – up from $1.2 billion in FY 2013-14, according to the government data.“Last year, about 70 lakh metric tonnes of sugar was exported, this year it is going to be about 112 lakh tonnes,” Singh said.However, sugarcane arrears in Uttar Pradesh, the largest cane producing state, and Gujarat are still high, the report said, citing government data.In UP, out of the Rs 35,201 crore payable to farmers by mills during the 2021-22 season, Rs 31,258 crore has been paid, leaving arrears of Rs 3,943 crore, which is the highest across the country.In the last season (2020-21), mills procured sugarcane worth Rs 33,023 crore, of which Rs 5,053 (15.3%) remained unpaid at the end of the season on September 30, 2021.In Gujarat, out of the Rs 3,891 crore payable to farmers by mills during the 2021-22 season, Rs 2,892 crore has been paid, leaving arrears of Rs 1,035 crore.