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| UP sugarcane area shrinks 6% |
| Virendra Singh Rawat / Lucknow Jun 02, 2009, 00:41 IST |
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The sugarcane area in Uttar Pradesh is likely to shrink by almost 6 per cent, to under 2.02 million hectares, in 2009-10 crushing season.
The annual UP sugarcane survey is on and the final acreage may fall to almost 8 per cent by the time the survey is concluded in July. The survey ascertains the requirement of the state sugar mills and the total area under the cash crop.
In 2008-09, the cane acreage was 2.14 million hectares, down 15 per cent from the previous year’s mark of 2.5 million hectares. Sugarcane area has been shrinking over the last couple of years due to the delay in cane payment and confusion over the price. However, the payment situation was better last year due to scarcity of the crop, which prompted sugar mills to give advance to farmers.
A senior cane department official told Business Standard that the acreage was down due to low ratooning this season. “Since, the acreage was down last year, the ratoon area is consequently down,” he added.
Ratooning is a method in which at the time of harvesting, the lower part of the plant, along with the root, is kept uncut. This enables the farmer to get multiple crops from these ratoons (stubble crop) before they replant. Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) Secretary CB Patodia said although the cane area could shrink, the yield was likely to increase by 15-20 per cent this season. “If the monsoon arrives on time, there would be a net gain of 8-10 per cent in the yield despite a dip in the acreage,” he said.
Meanwhile, cane payment of over Rs 95 crore, pertaining to 2008-09, is still due on 13 private sugar mills in UP. The state government is contemplating issuing Recovery Certificates (RCs) against defaulting mills.
“We hope that the cane arrears will be cleared by June, when the banks start releasing payments to the mills,” Patodia added. There are 132 sugar mills in UP, of which 17 are owned by the state sugar corporation, while 22 and 93 are operating in the cooperatives and private sector, respectively.
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