AP Farmers go for early crushing

Prolonged drought coupled with late rainfall last year has resulted in the sugarcane crushing season being curtailed by at least two months in Andhra Pradesh. Besides, farmers are going for early crushing.

The crushing season, which begins in December and normally goes on till May, will end in March this year. In the process, employment to labour is available only for 90 days as against the normal 150.

The sugar output would also decline this year as the recovery is around 9.1 per cent from about ten per cent last year. The overcast conditions in the last 15 days too is a factor for the low yield.

“We will fall short of the target as the yield is affected,” cane commissioner K Lakshminarayana said. Most of the crushing in 35 sugar factories in the state will be over in February and a few are likely to carry on till March.

The state has 38 sugar factories of which three are not working.

During the crushing season 2008-09, 5.96 million tonne sugarcane was crushed and 5,90,000 tonne sugar produced, with the recovery being about 10 per cent.

The normal sown area of sugarcane in the state is 2,29,000 hectare. It, however, declined to 1,96,000 hectare in 2008-09 and to 1,40,000 during 2009-10.

This season, the state has set a target of crushing 5.6 million tonne of which it has so far crushed 2.94 million tonne and recovered 2.36 million quintal.

Sugarcane farmers in the state are realising Rs 1,800-2,200 per tonne. With a release mechanism in place, Lakshminarayana said the processed sugar should be sold within 15 days else they would be converted into levy sugar – each bag fetches a maximum of Rs 1,350 irrespective of the market price. “There is no significant increase in the demand and, therefore, factories need not stock the commodity. Also, the state did not have any surplus stocks last year,” he said.

In view of the good prices for the sugar this year, more area is likely to come under sugarcane cultivation during 2010-11. “The ensuing season will see about 10 per cent increase in the acreage,” he said, adding the increased production would aid in price control. Medak is showing a significant increase in the crop size.

About 71 per cent of the sugarcane is processed for sugar, 18-20 per cent for jaggery and remaining for seed for the next crop.