BANGALORE: Three sugar industry experts have made a strong case to the Government for encouraging sugarcane cultivation and the industry to harness the ideal climate and soil conditions in all agro-climatic zones except coastal and hilly area in the State.

The State has a large potential to increase the productivity of cane as well as sugar recovery level and it might become number one in the country.

The experts — B.S. Nadagoudar, consultant to the sugar industry and P. Ramana Gowda and P.C. Ravi from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore — in a paper presented at the all-India seminar on mechanised cultivation of sugarcane and safety-quality management in sugar industry, said a few important decisions would enlarge the prosperity of sugarcane growers and the industry in the State.

Quoting the report of the National Commission on Farmers, they said although the area under sugarcane was highest in Maharashtra, the yield per hectare was lower (at 61.8 ton) than Karnataka, which stood next only to Tamil Nadu (106.8 ton).

Estimated cane yield for 2005-06 for Karnataka (105 ton per ha) was close to Tamil Nadu`s 106.8 in 2002-03. Some prize-winning farmers in Bagalkot and Belgaum districts have harvested up to 360 ton per hectare.

The State saw a three-fold increase in sugarcane cultivation in 4.80 lakh hectares in 2006-07 as compared to 1.56 lakh hectares in 1980-81 with a cane yield increase from 66 ton per hectare in 1980 to 105 ton per hectare in 2006-07.

In terms of recovery, Maharashtra stands first with 11.64 followed by Karnataka`s 10.79 per cent. On all India basis, Karnataka`s performance is far better.

The number of sugar mills has increased by 174 per cent in the State as against 76 in the country.

In 2006-07 crushing season, which still continued, some sugar mills in the two districts have recorded higher recoveries of 11.70 per cent over the season and highest days recoveries are 13.10 per cent.

Realising the potential, the Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, has established a screening centre near Jamakhandi in Bagalkot district for identifying sugar rich varieties with higher tonnage.

The experts have suggested steps to avoid cane yield stagnation/decline, deteriorating soil health because of excessive irrigation, soil nutrient depletion because sugarcane was an exhaustive crop and required large quantum of water.

Each factory should have an R and D wing and they should be provided with some incentives.

Subsidiary enterprises such as co-generation of electricity, distillery, ethanol production, treatment to the press mud for use as organic manure and value addition to sugar products could be other incentives.

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