AP to promote cane farming under drip irrigation

With the acreage for sugarcane cultivation decreasing steadily due to high cost of production, the Andhra Pradesh government is looking to popularise sugarcane cultivation under drip irrigation.

The project, to be promoted with funds from the Andhra Pradesh Horticulture Mission, would aim at reducing cane cultivation costs and making it more attractive for the farmers.

Speaking to Business Standard, cane and sugar commissioner K Lakshminarayana said the government was keen on sub-surface development for better yields. It would also motivate the farmers at the field level to continue with sugarcane cultivation and not shift to other crops. The government recently discussed this with the management of all the cooperative, joint venture and private sugar mills.

The acreage this year is likely to come down by about 25 per cent from the present 1,40,000 hectare. This could be attributed to the declining interest in cane cultivation and the seemingly long dry spell.

The sugar mills, worried over the possible decline in the acreage this year, have decided to offer a cash subsidy of up to Rs 6,000 per hectare or supply seedcane free of cost to boost cane cultivation.

According to Venkateshwara Rao, general manager of KCP Sugar, the cash subsidy would be extended till June-July. The crop, if harvested in November, could be used for seed for the next season. If harvested later, it would be crushed in the ensuing crushing season that would start around February.

KCP, which has 8,500 tonne crushing per day (tcd) capacity at Vuyyur plant and another 4,500 tcd at Lakshmipuram in Krishna district, has about 23,000 acre under sugarcane cultivation. “We want more farmers to take up cane cultivation,” Rao said. Other factories offering the cash subsidy include Andhra Sugars and a few cooperatives.

However, giving cash incentives to cane farmers is not new. For instance, KCP gave Rs 100 per tonne produce last year. According to Rao, harvesting is becoming a costly affair due to shortage of labour. “There is a need for mechanised harvestors to increase the profitability for the farmers,” he said. At present, the cost of cultivation of sugarcane is Rs 152,000 to Rs 160,000 per hectare.

During the crushing season 2008-09, which ended in March, about 5.96 million tonne cane was crushed, which was 500,000 tonne less than the targeted production. The production during this season declined 54.76 per cent as compared with 13.19 million tonne crushed during the 2007-08 season.

The 2008-09 crushing seasons produced about 5.84 million quintal sugar, a decline of 55.68 per cent over 13.34 million quintal produced during 2007-8 season.

Besides, the recovery of sugar from cane dropped to 9.8 per cent from the earlier 10.12 per cent. This year, cane production is estimated to be around 5.75 million tonne. The state has 11 cooperative, three joint ventures and 24 private sugar factories with a total capacity of 107,000 tonne crushing per day.