Sugarcane management

Sugarcane management

Sugar producers undertake sugarcane management, which comprises sugarcane development and procurement.

Sugarcane development activity comprises:

·         Granting various subsidies and loans for fertilisers to farmers

·         Supplying and transporting disease-free and disease resistant sugarcane seeds

·         Treatment of seeds before plantation

·         Soil testing

·         Supplying pesticides and insecticides to control plant diseases

·         Providing deep boring or diesel pumping sets

·         Development of infrastructure in and around the vicinity of the mill for the immediate transportation of sugarcane and other materials to sugar factories

·         Holding seminars to educate sugarcane farmers

·         Distributing leaflets containing guidelines for growing a good sugarcane crop

·         Developing an optimal mix of sugarcane varieties.

·         Distributing superior sugarcane seeds

Sugarcane planting

In India, sugarcane is planted thrice a year in October (autumn), February-March (spring) and July (Adsali). Adsali planting is quite common in Maharashtra while autumn and spring plantings are more common in northern India. Under North Indian weather conditions, sugarcane, by and large, is planted in spring.

Sugarcane requires about 25-32°C for good germination. This temperature requirement is met twice in north Indian conditions that is, in October and also in February and March. Autumn planting of sugarcane is done in October. For good yields, planting should be completed up to the 20th of October. Delay in planting may cause reduction in yield as germination of sugarcane is reduced due to low temperature in late planting.

Spring cane is planted between February and March. March is the best time for cane planting in Punjab and Haryana, February-March in Uttar Pradesh and January-February in Bihar. The planting time advances as we move towards the east. In Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka, cane planting is done in December-February. In Tamil Nadu, planting takes place on a staggering basis except during the October-September period, which results in a longer crushing season.

Sugarcane varieties

Sugarcane can be placed into one of the three categories according to its physical and chemical characteristics.

·         Chewing cane contains fibres that stick together when chewed; making it easier to spit out the pulp once the sugar has been consumed.

·         Cane for crystals must contain a high percentage of sucrose, since this is the sugar type that easily forms into crystals when concentrated.

·         Syrup canes contain less sucrose and more of other sugars, allowing the juice to be concentrated into syrup and still not form crystals.

As stated earlier, sugarcane is usually sown during October, February-March and July, every year. In terms of maturity of the sugarcane crop, there are three sugarcane varieties - the early maturing sugarcane variety (10 to 11 month crop), the general mid-variety (11-12 month crop), and the late maturing variety (12-14 month crop).

It may not be possible to crush matured sugarcane over the complete duration of the normal sugarcane crushing season if only one type of sugarcane variety, either early or mid or late, is available within the factory sugarcane area. Hence, it is important for sugar producers to encourage farmers to grow all three varieties of sugarcane, and thereby, ensure availability of adequate cane for crushing over the entire crushing season.