UP sells sugar at Rs 52 a kg in Lucknow from cooperative mills to ease festive prices

The Uttar Pradesh government has begun selling sugar to the public at a subsidised Rs 52 a kilogram in Lucknow, after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the state's Sugar Industry and Cane Development Department to provide relief from high prices during the festival season, at a review meeting on October 14, 2026. The sugar is being sold from the sales centre of the state sugar corporation and the cooperative sugar mills federation at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Ganna Kisan Sansthan campus in Lucknow, in 1 kg packets for Rs 52, 2 kg packets for Rs 102 and 5 kg packs of refined sugar for Rs 250. The government has indicated the facility could be extended to other cities if market prices are not brought under control.

Households buy more sugar at festival time, for sweets, offerings and guests. When its price rises in the weeks before Dussehra and Diwali, the cost of celebration rises with it. A state-run sale at Rs 52 a kg is a direct way to cut that cost for buyers who can reach the centre, and it is a visible signal that the government is watching prices.

Uttar Pradesh has the means to do this quickly. The state runs a sugar corporation and a network of cooperative mills that can sell directly to the public. Using that network to sell at a fixed price bypasses traders and retailers for at least part of the market.

The bigger picture is a national squeeze on sugar this year. Prices rose quickly over the summer, and the government allowed duty-free imports of raw sugar to bring them down. The industry body ISMA has said there is no shortage and that a strong start to the new crushing season should increase supply, but its forecasts have been questioned by critics after several downward revisions. Until fresh sugar from the new season reaches the market in volume, measures such as Uttar Pradesh's subsidised sale are a stopgap.

Short-term: Buyers in Lucknow can buy sugar for festival use at Rs 52 a kg at the designated centre. Because sales are limited to one location for now, the direct effect on prices across the state will be small unless the scheme is extended.

Long-term: If the new crushing season brings a large crop, retail prices may ease on their own, as the industry expects. If they do not, more states could use cooperative and public-sector mills for direct sales, and the Centre could extend import relief beyond October 31.

Who is affected: Households in Lucknow buying sugar for the festive season, sweet makers and small food businesses, the state's sugar corporation and cooperative mills, and cane farmers whose income depends on the health of the mills.

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