Cane farmers may face about ₹25,000 crore in payment arrears from sugar mills by next May, according to industry estimates. With an 8% increase in acreage under sugarcane and adequate rainfall expected to lead to a bumper crop, the resultant production glut could hit farmers hard in an election year.Satellite images from the latter part of June show that the total acreage under sugarcane in the country is estimated to be around 54.35 lakh hectares this kharif season, an 8% increase from the previous year, according to a statement by the Indian Sugar Mills Association. High yieldWith farmers switching more of their acreage to a cane variety with a higher sugar yield, ISMA expects mills to produce a