Uttar Pradesh sugar mills owe farmers more than Rs 3,500 crore in arrears for the current crushing season, which has almost rounded off. About 90 per cent of these arrears, or about Rs 3,200 crore, are owed by the state private sugar mills, which number 91 of the total 116 functional units in the state. Against total sugarcane payables of Rs 25,381 crore for 2016-17 season, the mills have paid farmers nearly Rs 21,670 crore, thus leaving the remaining amount of about Rs 3,500 crore still to be settled. Last year, the total payables to UP cane farmers had stood at about Rs 18,000 crore, which have increased to over Rs 25,000 crore, a jump of nearly 40 percent, although the cane price was also higher this season. The state cane price effective for the current season was earlier hiked by Rs 25 from Rs 280/quintal to Rs 305/quintal for normal variety.