Sugar AGRICULTURAL CROP & AGRO-BASED INDUSTRY SUGARCANE AND SUGAR INDUSTRY

Sugarcane crop TROPICAL CROP – BELONGS TO THE GRASS FAMILY. INDIA HAS THE LARGEST AREA UNDER SUGARCANE CULTIVATION BUT DUE TO LOW PRODUCTIVITY PER HECTARE, IS THE SECOND LARGEST PRODUCER AFTER BRAZIL. IS THE MAIN SOURCE OF SUGAR, GUR AND KHANDSARI. UP – LARGEST PRODUCER OF SUGARCANE IN INDIA & HS LARGEST AREA UNDER SUGARCANE PRODUCTION. REQUIRES 10 TO 15 MONTHS TO MATURE AND SO IS A LONG DURATION CROP. IS A LABOUR INTENSIVE CROP REQUIRING AMPLE HUMAN LABOUR.

METHODS OF CULTIVATION SOWING – MOSTLY FROM JAN TO APRIL - HEAVY MANURING NEEDED AS THE CROP EXHAUSTS THE SOIL FERTILITY - COMMERCIAL PLANTINGS MADE BY SETT MOTHOD = CUTTING THE SUGARCANE INTO 2 OR 3 JOINTS [ SETTS] – THESE ARE PLANTED HORIZONTALLY IN FURROWS 1.5 TO 2 m WIDE. HARVESTING IS DONE BEFORE THE CANE BEGINS TO FLOWER. MAXIMUM CONCENTRATION OF SUGAR IS AT THE BASE OF THE CANE AND THEREFORE THE CANE IS CUT AT GROUND LEVEL. MACHETE OR MACHINES USED TO HARVEST.

PROCESSING OF SUGARCane HAS TO BE TAKEN QUICKLY FOR PROCESSING BECAUSE THE SUGAR CONTENT DETERIORATES QUICKLY. IMPORTANT BY-PRODUCTS OF SUGARCANE = MOLASSES [ DARK BROWN SYRUP LIKE LIQUID LEFT OVER AFTER THE RECRYSTALLIZATION OF SUGAR. USED AS CATTLE FEED, ORGANIC FERTILIZERS, MANUFACTURE OF PAPER & SYNTHETIC FIBRES/ INDUSTRIAL ALCOHOL/ RUM & YEAST. BAGASSE = CRUSHED SUGARCANE AFTER JUICE HAS BEEN EXTRACTED – AS ORGANIC FERTILIZER/ FUEL FOR MILLS/ MANUFACTURE OF PAPER/ FIBRE BOARD/ SYNTHETIC FIBRES. PRESS MUD = FOR POLISH AND CARBON PAPER/ WAX/ CATTLE FEED/ MANUFACTURE OF PAPER.

SUGARCANE CULTIVATION IN STATES SOUTHERN STATES TEMPERATURE BELOW 27 DEGREE C FAOURABLE FOR THE GROWTH OF SUGARCANE NO FROST LARGER AND WELL PLANNED LAND HOLDINGS DUE TO CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT. NORTHERN STATES SUMMER TEMPERATURE RANGES FROM 30 DEGREE C DRY SCORCHING WINDS CALLED LOO IN MAY & JUNE THESE HAMPER THE GROWTH OF SUGARCANE WINTER MONTHS – DEC & JAN – FROST DAMAGES THE CROP LAND HOLDINGS NOT AS LARGE AND WELL PLANNED

PROBLEMS OF SUGARCANE FARMERS SOIL EXHAUSTING NATURE OF THE CROP – LARGE AMOUNT MANURING NEEDED BUT FARMERS ARE POOR. SHORTAGE OF HYV SEEDS, PESTICIDES, RESEARCH AND TRAINING CENTRES. MOST OF THE FIELDS ARE AWAY FROM FACTORIES – DELAY IN TRANSPORTATION REDUCES SUGAR CONTENT. SIZE OF LAND HOLDINGS SMALL BECAUSE OF OVER POPULATION. RICE OF SUGARCANE CONTROLLED BY GOVERNMENT REGARDLESS OF QUALITY – LOW OR NO INCENTIVES TO THE FARMER.

STEPS BY GOVERNMENT TO OVERCOME PROBLEMS OF SUGARCANE FARMERS ESTABLISHED RESEARCH CENTRES LIKE THE SUGARCANE RESEARCH INSTITUTE AT COIMBATORE – DEVELOP NEW VARIETIES OF SEEDS. LARGE WATER RESERVOIRS CONSTRUCTED AS PART OF MULTIPURPOSE PROJECTS – FOR MORE DEPENDABLE WATER SUPPLY. STATE CO-OPERATIVE BANKS AND RURAL BANKS PROVIDE LONG –TERM AND SHORT –TERM LOANS. BASIC INPUTS LIKE FERTILIZERS/ HYV SEEDS/ PESTICIDES PROVIDED AT LOWER COSTS. CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES SUPPORT FARMERS AND HELP SOVE PROBLEMS FACED.

IMPORTANCE OF SUGAR INDUSTRY THIRD LARGEST INDUSTRY IN INDIA GREAT EMPLOYMENT OF WORKERS IMPORTANT SOURCE OF EXCISE DUTY FOR CENTRAL GOVERNMENT

DISTRIBUTION OF SUGAR INDUSTRIES UP, BIHAR, PUNJAB AND HARYANA IN NORTH MAHARASHTRA, KARNATAKA, ANDHRA PRADESH AND TAMILNADU IN SOUTH. MAHARASHTRA – PUNE/ NASIK UP – MEERUT/ LUCKNOW/ ALLAHABAD TAMIL NADU – MADURAI / TRICHY ANDHRA PRADESH – VISHAKAPATNAM/ CHITTOOR BIHAR – CHAMPARAN PUNJAB - AMRITSAR

REASONS FOR THE FOLLOWING WHY SUGAR INDUSTRY IS ESTABLISHED IN AREAS OF SUGARCANE CULTIVATION- HEAVY RAW MATERIAL / SUGARCANE CANNOT BE STORED FOR LONG DUE TO LOSS OF SUCROSE CONTENT/ LONG DURATION TRANSPORTATION MAY CAUSE DRYING UP OF SUGARCANE.

WHY MAHARASHTRA HAS EMERGED AS ONE OF THE MAJOR PRODUCERS OF SUGAR IN INDIA LARGE PRODUCTION OF SUGARCANE HIGH RATE OF RECOVERY LONGER CRUSHING PERIOD MAHARASHTRA HAS ONE-FOURTH OF TOTAL SUGAR MILLS IN INDIA PRODUCES ALMOST ONE-THIRD OF TOTAL SUGAR IN INDIA.

WHY TAMIL NADU HAS EMERGED AS MAJOR SUGAR PRODUCING STATE HIGH YIELD PER HECTARE HIGHER SUCROSE CONTENT HIGH RECOVERY RATE LONG CRUSHING SEASON SUGARCANE RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN COIMBATORE

WHY LOCALISATION OF SUGAR INDUSTRY IN UP & BIHAR UP + BIHAR = SUGAR BELT OF INDIA [ MORE THAN 60 PER CENT OF SUGAR FACTORIES] FERTILE NORTHERN PLAINS AND HEAVY RAINFALL MAIN SOURCE OF POWER = COAL – EASILY AVAILABLE IN NEARBY COAL FIELDS IN BIHAR. NORTHERN PLAINS = DENSELY POPULATED – CHEAP LABOUR AND MARKET. KANPUR IN UP = WELL CONNECTED TO DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY BY RAIL, ROAD AND RIVER TRANSPORT. THEREFORE A GREAT DISTRIBUTION CENTRE FOR NORTHERN INDIA.

WHY SHIFT IN SUGAR INDUSTRY FROM NORTH TO SOUTH INDIA TROPICAL CLIMATE – HIGHER YIELD PER UNIT AREA. HIGHER SUCROSE DUE TO TROPICAL CLIMATE. LONG CRUSHING PERIOD [7 TO 8 MONTHS IN SOUTH COMPARED TO NEARLY FOUR MONTHS IN NORTH] BETTER MANAGEMENT OF COOPERATIVE SUGAR MILLS IN THE SOUTH

WHY PROBLEMS IN SUGAR INDUSTRY YIELD PER HECTARE VERY LOW AS COMPARED TO MAJOR SUGARCANE PRODUCING COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD. SHORT CRUSHING SEASON – MILLS AND WORKERS REMAIN IDLE DURING REMAINING PERIOD OF THE YEAR – FINANCIAL PROBLEMS FOR THE INDUSTRY. HIGH COST OF PRODUCTION INEFFICIENT TECHNOLOGY UNECONOMIC PROCESS OF PRODUCTION OLD / OBSOLETE MACHINERY UNDER-UTILISATION OF BY-PRODUCTS – BAGASSE OFTEN BURNT AS FUEL OR USED AS FODDER.