Haryana expects higher sugarcane acreage

The Haryana agriculture department is eyeing 35 per cent increase in the sugarcane acreage for the crushing season 2010-11. As against covered area of 75,000 hectares under sugarcane for the crushing season 2009-10, Haryana sugarcane officials maintain they are eyeing 100,000 hectares under the crop for crushing season 2010-11.

The sugarcane area in Haryana plummeted from 140,000 hectares in 2007-08 to 90,000 hectares in 2008-09 and is further estimated to fall to 75,000 hectares in 2009-10.

Sugarcane cultivation is generally done in two seasons – autumn/winter season and spring season. During winter sowing of sugarcane an area of 18,480 hectares as against 7,600 hectares in 2008-09. Thus winter sowing of sugarcane has registered an increase of about two-and-a-half times over the last year.

According to Haryana Agriculture Minister Paramvir Singh, this has been possible due to various incentives being given by the state government to the sugarcane growers, which include grant on sugarcane seeds. A sum of over Rs 9.25 crore was given to the farmers as grant on sugarcane seeds at the rate of Rs 2,000 per acre to give a boost to winter sowing of sugarcane, he added. The minister said a grant at the rate of Rs 2,000 per acre on sugarcane seeds was also being given to Scheduled Caste, small and marginal farmers for spring sowing of sugarcane as well.

A sum of Rs 2 crore had been earmarked for this purpose and area under sugarcane crop was likely to increase beyond expectations. Paramvir Singh said that a grant at the rate of Rs 6,000 per acre and Rs 1,500 per acre was being given to the farmers adopting pits and trench methods of sugarcane sowing respectively. With the pits sowing method, sugarcane production of 900-950 quintals per acre and with the trench sowing method, sugarcane production of 400-450 quintals per acre could be achieved as against an average per acre production of 250 quintals.