Sops to increase cane acreage

Yamunanagar-based Saraswati Sugar Mills is providing incentives to encourage farmers in the region to take up sugarcane cultivation. The move comes in the wake of falling sugarcane area.

Towards this, the company has earmarked Rs 6 crore and is offering a subsidy of Rs 1,000 per acre to farmers who go for cane cultivation.

According to Yashpal Singh, assistant cane development officer, the area under sugarcane cultivation in Yamunanagar declined from 125,000 acre to 75,000 acre last year as farmers switched to paddy and wheat crop owing to higher minimum support price. Another reason for the decline was the frost that destroyed the crop last year. This mill could collect only 6.8 million quintal cane in 2008 as against 17.4 million quintal in 2007.

Speaking to Business Standard, SK Sachdeva, chief operating officer, Saraswati Sugar Mills, said apart from providing incentives, the mill has already made a provision of Rs 5 crore under which it helps sugarcane growing farmers get loan from banks and also ensures quality availability of seeds and regular supply of insecticides to them.

It is also organising awareness campaigns along with the agriculture department to increase cultivation area. The results of such campaigns are showing, Singh said, adding the area under the new crop has increased to 45,000 hectares and they were anticipating a 5 per cent increase in the total area for the current year.