Emphasis on the need to reduce the use of water in sugarcane cultivation
27-Jun-2024 11:38 AM
New Delhi. Like paddy, sugarcane crop also requires a large amount of water for irrigation. Apart from this, water is also used heavily in the process from crushing sugarcane to the production of ethanol.
Given the declining water level in the country, this situation cannot be considered good. Union Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Minister Prahlad Joshi says that research and development institutions should pay special attention to this.
There is a need to develop such varieties of sugarcane which require less water. The government has been trying to strike a better balance in the interests of both sugarcane producers and sugar consumers.
This claim of the Food Minister is also correct. On the one hand, the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane is being increased regularly every year,
while on the other hand, the ex-factory minimum selling price (MSP) of sugar has remained stable at Rs 3100 per quintal since 2019.
The government imposed an indefinite ban on commercial export of sugar in June 2023 with the aim of increasing supply and availability in the domestic sector and bringing stability in prices,
which is still in force at present, although earlier 60 lakh tonnes of sugar export was approved. Sugar export was stopped after shipment of 60 lakh tonnes.
The Food Minister has emphasized the need to rapidly increase the production of ethanol so that it can help in achieving the target of its 20 percent blending in petrol.
At present, the target of 12 percent blending has been achieved. According to the Food Minister, sugar has traditionally been consumed well in Indian homes and there is a tradition of distributing sweets made from sugar on every auspicious festival.
The top three sugarcane producing states include Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Apart from this, sugarcane and sugar are also produced well in some other states including Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.