Cane acreage may increase by 18 % in Uttarakhand

The Uttarakhand government is expecting an increase of 17,000 hectares of sugarcane acreage in the year 2010-11, which is 18 per cent more than the previous year, largely owing to steep hike in the sugarcane price this year.

In its new report of the sugarcane department, the government said the total sugarcane acreage in the state in 2009-10 was 93,000 hectares, which is now expected to reach 110,000 hectares in the next year. “Farmers are happy this year after they got the sugarcane price as high as Rs 270 per quintal,” said a government official. This would give boost to the cane production next year in case the weather remains positive.

Uttarakhand had announced its state advised price (SAP) for sugarcane at Rs 192-197, which is the highest in the country with a promise of hefty bonus.

The government is expecting a production of 49.2 million quintals of sugarcane in the current season and hoping that the production would now touch a high of 60.5 million quintals in the next season beginning November, an increase of 22 per cent.

According to the latest statistics, all the 10 sugarmills in the state have so far crushed 24.73 million quintals of sugarcane till February 28 this year to produce 2.22 million quintals of sugar.

The cash crop is being cultivated in four districts of the hill state – Udhamsingh Nagar, Nainital, Haridwar and Dehra Dun which are having 14 sugarcane cooperative societies. A total of 181,000 farmers are members of these societies.

Meanwhile, the government has asked the officials to provide seeds to farmers in time so that the state can register better sugarcane production. The government has also chalked out plans to set up tissue-culture laboratories in the state.

The government has also tied up with the Pantnagar agriculture university which has developed new seed varieties for farmers. These seeds also being provided to farmers, the report added.