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Source-This post on Issues with the sugarcane cultivation has been created based on the article “A bitter sweet story” published in “The Indian Express” on 20 April 2024.
UPSC Syllabus-GS Paper-3- Major Crops – Cropping Patterns in various parts of the country
Context- Sugarcane growers in India are facing extreme uncertainty. With the new sugar year’s crushing season set to begin in October, mills still owe sugarcane growers around Rs 3,000 crore for cane purchased back in 2013-14. The article highlights the need for paying more attention to sugarcane rather than sugar, by acknowledging its untapped potential.
What is the economic and ecological importance of cultivation of sugar cane?
1) High yields- Cane has a higher yield as compared to other crops. For ex- Even the top Punjab farmer can only harvest around 5-6 tonnes of wheat and 8-9 tonnes of paddy whereas the least successful sugarcane grower in Uttar Pradesh can yield around 40 tonnes.
Thus,sugarcane,uses less water per day and even less for every unit weight of biomass produced. This is because it exhibits “C4 photosynthesis” which is a more efficient mechanism of deploying solar energy to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide and water into plant matter.
2) Meeting fodder needs– The green top-leaves of sugarcane meet most of the fodder needs for Uttar Pradesh farmers in winter and spring and is highly efficient at carbon sequestration.
3) Electricity generation- The high-pressure boilers used in modern sugar mills can generate around 130 kilowatt-hours of electricity from every tonne of cane that is, 300 kg bagasse or 660 kg steam.
4) Renewable source of energy– The largest component of sugarcane, that makes up about 30% of its weight, is bagasse. It’s the fibrous material left over after the juice is extracted and is a valuable source of biofuel.
5) Production of alcohol- Molasse is the leftover juice after extraction of the maximum possible sugar from three cycles of boiling and crystallization. This non-recoverable sugar in the molasses gets fermented into alcohol.
Read more– Is India’s sugar surplus leading to a crisis?
What are the problems faced by sugarcane Cultivators?
1) Pseudo-environmentalists -There is no awareness about C4 carbon fixation ability of sugarcane. It is often presented as a water guzzling crop, threatening the availability of water for other crops.
2)Obsession with sugar-There is too much importance given to the production of sugar from sugarcane.This is despite the fact that it makes up just 10 % of the cane in terms of recovery during processing.
3) Overlooking bagasse-based generation of electricity– Bagasse-based electricity generation is mentioned incidentally, whereas more importance is given to wind and solar energy. However, sugar mills have installed around 2,700 MW of grid-interactive capacity producing real and reliable power.
4) Lack of robust policy– Centre does not have a robust ethanol-blending programme. In Brazil, ethanol is used for either a 25% blend with petrol or as 100% hydrous spirit for flex-fuel vehicles, but India is not properly implementing even a 5% blend.
5) Role of State governments- The UP government sets aside 34% of molasses produced by mills for supplying to country liquor makers. This implies that while cane farmers don’t get paid, country liquor makers get subsidized molasses.
Question for practice
What is the economic and ecological importance of cultivation of sugarcane? Highlight the problems faced by sugarcane Cultivators?
