Sugar cane arrears in India stood at 170 billion rupees (S$3.42 billion) at the end of March, a more than 21 per cent jump from January-end, as a drop in sugar prices made it difficult for mills to pay farmers stipulated prices. Mills in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh owe farmers 72 billion rupees, while mills in the western state of Maharashtra have delayed payments of 25 billion rupees. Indian sugar mills produced 28.18 million tonnes sugar in the first six months of 2017/18 marketing year started on Oct. 1, up 49 per cent from a year ago.