Co-0238, India's wonder sugarcane variety tries to get its juice back

Successful variety helped farmers and millers alike but has fallen prey to red rot disease

More than a decade back, India’s sugar sector was characterised by troughs and crests that caused supply shortages and frustrated farmers not paid their dues.

Uttar Pradesh (UP) had the largest number of private millers, but at that time its sugar production barely matched that of rival Maharashtra. UP millers were notorious for not paying farmers on time, causing frequent frictions that became a political issue.

Then came Co-0238, a sugarcane variety developed by award-winning plant scientist Bakshi Ram. In his long career, Ram had released more than 14 sugarcane varieties meant mostly for north India. Some varieties were highly