Sugarcane is one of the cash crops that assure fix income to the farmers which is one of the major reason for farmers shifting to cane cultivation rather than opting other crops. However the increased cultivation of water intensive cash crop has brought the whole sugar sector in a crisis which has led the government agencies, millers, traders and farmers to search for the solution at their levels. Central government is trying to find out solutions to address the crisis by granting export subsidy to the millers and subsidy to the farmers.
At the same time one must study to find out what was the reason behind emerging of this crisis. The bumper production of sugar affected the demand supply ration causing the prices of sugar in the market to fall. At the same time the sugarcane production in the world has also increased as like in India which has resulted into falling prices of sugar making export of sugar difficult.
Along with implementing measures to address the issue, government should not overlook the reason behind farmers banking on sugarcane cultivation and increase of cane cultivation area every year. Government should devise policies to stop farmers from encouraging sugarcane cultivation. The message should be sent throughout the sugarcane growing areas about this and farmers should be encouraged to stop cane cultivation and take other crops. Of course farmers will be convinced only when they will get assurance of returns from other crops like that of from sugarcane. The tough task is ahead for government to design pricing policy for other crops and ensure fixed prices for other crops which will encourage farmers to shift cultivation from Sugarcane to other crops.
Government announces Minimum Support Pries for crops other than sugarcane, but farmers do not get benefits by sowing these crops like that from sugarcane. Farmers need more concrete benefits and once they are assured benefits, they would definitely shift to other crops. Less sugarcane cultivation with high recovery will be able to produce enough sugar to meet the daily need of people, both house-hold and industrial needs. Based on this calculation government can focus to the production of ethanol and other such long-term measures to face surplus production of sugar in future. The sugarcane cultivation should be limited keeping in view the domestic consumption of sugar.Sugarcane is one of the cash crops that assure fix income to the farmers which is one of the major reason for farmers shifting to cane cultivation rather than opting other crops. However the increased cultivation of water intensive cash crop has brought the whole sugar sector in a crisis which has led the government agencies, millers, traders and farmers to search for the solution at their levels. Central government is trying to find out solutions to address the crisis by granting export subsidy to the millers and subsidy to the farmers.
At the same time one must study to find out what was the reason behind emerging of this crisis. The bumper production of sugar affected the demand supply ration causing the prices of sugar in the market to fall. At the same time the sugarcane production in the world has also increased as like in India which has resulted into falling prices of sugar making export of sugar difficult.
Along with implementing measures to address the issue, government should not overlook the reason behind farmers banking on sugarcane cultivation and increase of cane cultivation area every year. Government should devise policies to stop farmers from encouraging sugarcane cultivation. The message should be sent throughout the sugarcane growing areas about this and farmers should be encouraged to stop cane cultivation and take other crops. Of course farmers will be convinced only when they will get assurance of returns from other crops like that of from sugarcane. The tough task is ahead for government to design pricing policy for other crops and ensure fixed prices for other crops which will encourage farmers to shift cultivation from Sugarcane to other crops.
Government announces Minimum Support Pries for crops other than sugarcane, but farmers do not get benefits by sowing these crops like that from sugarcane. Farmers need more concrete benefits and once they are assured benefits, they would definitely shift to other crops. Less sugarcane cultivation with high recovery will be able to produce enough sugar to meet the daily need of people, both house-hold and industrial needs. Based on this calculation government can focus to the production of ethanol and other such long-term measures to face surplus production of sugar in future. The sugarcane cultivation should be limited keeping in view the domestic consumption of sugar.
