‘Uttar Pradesh Tops In Sugar Production’; West UP Towns Pave The Way

“Uttar Pradesh has produced 87.5 lakh tonne of sugar in this year, making it highest sugar producer of the Nation” said Suresh Rana, Minister of Sugarcane Development and Sugar Industry Uttar Pradesh replying to a question by BW Businessworld.

The minister added that we have made 10.61 per cent recoveries as well, it was our pre-election commitment to farmers for modernisation and technological advancement in sugarcane production.

Office of the Cane & Sugar Commissioner Uttar Pradesh told, that Shamli district topped the list (average yield) with 843 quintal per hectare production, followed by Muzaffarnagar and Meerut with 832 and 828.5 quintal per hectare yield respectively.

Another district, Hapur has topped the list with maximum average growth per hectare. Hapur has witnessed average of 109 quintal per hectare growth this year, with 785 quintal per hectare yield in comparison with previous year’s 676.6 quintal per hectare. In term of yields, Uttar Pradesh is followed by Maharashtra, Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh for the year 2016-17.

In comparison to previous year, this year’s growth had been registered in average yield of both Pedi (North-African origin) and Plant sugarcane. It was registered as 53 quintals per hectare in Pedi sugarcane and 62.6 quintal per hectare in Plant sugarcane.

“Overall income of the sugarcane farmers of state had also been increased by Rs 5568.3 crore, with the increase of production and crushing of sugarcane this year” said Cane & Sugar Commissioner Office quoting the statement by sugarcane commissioner of Uttar Pradesh. The office told that farmers sugarcane crushing had increased by some 1825 lakh tonne comparing to last year’s 1364.12 lakh tonne.

Swift acceptance of new sugarcane variety like COS-8436, COS-88230, COS-95255 all developed by Sugarcane Breeding Institute Karnal and Co-0238 and CoLk-94184 by Indian Institute for Sugarcane Research had also played an important role in high yields.

Such varieties have increased the average yield by as high as 8.7 per cent which is 72.38 tonne per hectare. Efforts are in continuity by cane societies in the state to get rid of varieties with poor yield like COS-91268 and BO-91, suggest reports. Government has also trained farmers about trenching method that helped in high yields.

India is believed to be the second largest sugar producer of the world after Brazil (ministry of agriculture and farmer welfare report 2015). Another noticeable aspect is that the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh had been very critical about sugarcane policy of the state and took firm steps in matters like dues in payment to sugarcane farmer by various sugar mills and developed a popular image among sugarcane farmers of the state.