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Improving sugarcane cultivation in India

Posted on 01 May 2009

© ICRISAT - WWF Project

Improving sugarcane cultivation in India. A training manual from the Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative.

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Scarcity of freshwater is affecting the productivity and profitability of sugarcane growers and millers in India.

As many as 35 million farmers in this country grow sugarcane and rely on it for their livelihoods. Another 50 million depend on employment generated by the 571 sugar factories and other related industries using sugar. In Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, sugarcane plays a major role in the state economy.

During the last 10 years, sugarcane production in India has fluctuated between 233 million tonnes and 355 million tonnes per year. Similarly, the productivity at the farm level is as low as 40 tonnes/ha. With such low yields and fluctuations in production, and predicted increases in the variability of rainfall due to climate change, the industry is in for big trouble.

One of the world's thirstiest crops, approximately 25,000 kg of water is needed to produce 100 kg of sugarcane. Unless sugarcane farmers are introduced to new methods for producing higher yields using much less water, the country will find it difficult to meet the growing demand for sugar.

The Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI) aims to:

  • provide practical options to farmers for improving the productivity of land, water, and labour
  • reduce crop duration, providing factories a longer crushing season and increased employment opportunities for workers
  • reduce the overall pressure on water resources and ecosystems.
The SSI is a package of practices based on the principles of ‘more with less’ in agriculture. It stresses a practical approach that originates from farmers and civil society to improve productivity while reducing pressures on natural resources.

It's estimated that by adopting SSI, a farmer will be able to produce at least 20% more sugarcane while reducing water inputs by 30% and chemical inputs by 25%.

Comments

R.R.Chandak

November 3, 2009 - 08:57

Dear sir, I read a article in Agrowon on 3/11/2009. I am working in Department of Agriculture at Beed Maharashtra as Technical Officer in DSAO Office. Working with sugar factories in Beed district, Six factories are taken for improvement in sugarcane production on 1000 ha in each factory area. Give me details about your project.
Thanking you.
Yours
Chandak R.R.
Technical Officer, DSAO, Beed

PHANI MOHAN

May 17, 2009 - 13:17

IMPROVING SOIL HEALTH, PRACTICING CARBON ,WATER,ENERGY FOOT PRINT IN CULTIVATION, HARVESTING AND PROCESSING, INDUCING SUGARS IN TO LEAVES AND MAKING WHOLE CANE CRUSHING POSSIBLE WOULD LEAD US TO IMPROVE YIELDS. INDIAN SUGAR IS NOT COHESIVE GROUP AND INSPITE OF BEING SECOND LARGEST EMPLOYMENT GENERATOR IN AGRONOMY IT IS NOT GETTING ITS DUE FROM POLICY MAKERS AND FUEL BLENDING PROGRAMME FAILED DUE NON SUPPORT.

Dr. D. Dhanapal

May 15, 2009 - 17:34

Yes SSI will reduce water requirment and chemical inputs for sugar cane cultivation. It is more profitable to farmers and it energy efficient when compared to conventional method of cultivation. Energy for and from SSI and conventional methods can be used for training the farmers and students on SSI.
Dr. D. Dhanapal
Hon. Director Geo Resource Centre

Raghuchandan Rao

May 6, 2009 - 06:11

Excellent training manual. The only drawback in this online PDF manual is photographs quality is not good. Please try to improve the quality of photographs. Some photos are good
with regards,
Raghuchandan Rao

N. Chandrasekhar

May 5, 2009 - 06:34

Dear Sir,

I would request you to give two sets of the Training Manual on SSI. Here the complete address is as below.

N. CHANDRASEKHAR
Program Associate,
Watershed Support Services and Activities (WASSAN)
12-13-450, Street No. 1, Tarnaka, Secunderabad - 500 017

 

 

 

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