Kharif Outlook: ‘Safest crop’ sugarcane set to gain this season

Amit Savat, a youthful farmer in Maharashtra’s Sangli, is very clear about the crop he wants to plant this Kharif period. He favours sugarcane. “I want to get well losses,” he claims, after having experienced heavy losses increasing vegetables in excess of the past one particular-and-a-fifty percent several years.

The Covid pandemic is one particular significant cause for the losses experienced by vegetable growers in his area. Like Savat, many growers in his area have shifted from cultivating grapes to planting sugarcane.

Pandurang Chavan, a farmer from the Kolhapur area in Maharashtra, bets that “sugarcane is the most secure crop in the present situations of Covid”.

“Cultivation expenditures for other crops have multiplied and unseasonal rains, closure of marketplaces, value of pesticides, labour availability and affordability have remained significant troubles for farmers,” he claims, justifying his induce to change to sugarcane planting this calendar year.

Maharashtra Sugar Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad claims that much more farmers are shifting to sugarcane cultivation for the reason that of assured profits.

“Sugarcane is comparatively a improved crop when compared with others with excellent returns. It is even a lazy crop as at the time you plant and cut the cane you can be certain the mills will get,” claims Praful Vithalani, Chairman, All India Sugar Traders Association (AISTA).

Edge

An benefit in the scenario of planting sugarcane is that growers require not fret. “It is the mills that require to fret about advertising sugar,” claims Vithalani.

Ganpatrao Sawant, director of Sangli-based mostly Vasantdada Sugar Cooperative, concurs with the AISTA chairman. “There is uncertainty in the industry in view of the significant stocks sugar mills have. They have to commence the crushing period, but there are many mills that might experience a economic crisis to commence crushing the future period. Glut in sugarcane output will add to the troubles of farmers and millers,” he claims.

In shorter, the “safest” and “lazy” crop tag for sugarcane will most likely guide to increased planting this kharif.

Stand-on your own ethanol plants

The Centre’s coverage to allow for stand-on your own ethanol plants and the insistence on they shell out truthful and remunerative selling price (FRP) to farmers may also motivate them to choose up sugarcane farming much more severely, claims an Uttar Pradesh Sugar Mills Association official.

The truth that sugar exports have been excellent this calendar year other than the continuous enhance in the output of ethanol could be favourable for planting sugarcane, he claims.

With Uttar Pradesh going to the polls future calendar year, the Condition government would be much more prompt in ensuring mills shell out farmers on time as it would not want to antagonise this kind of a big vote lender on the eve of the polls.

Water availability

In Karnataka, the third premier sugar-developing point out, sugarcane output is most likely to enhance by about five for every cent aided by increased water availability and excellent pre-monsoon showers for the duration of the summer season months.

RB Khandagave, Director, S Nijalingappa Sugar Institute in Belagavi, reported the crop issue in Karnataka is excellent and the output would be increased by about five for every cent.

Aside from excellent water availability, there is no report of pests attack or disease, which should really enable the output, he reported.

Khandagave reported the roadmap for ethanol mixing declared by the Centre will present a massive strengthen for cane cultivation in Karnataka.

Vithalani claims that sugarcane draws farmers as Indian growers are paid 30-35 for every cent much more than growers in nations around the world this kind of as Thailand.

Rahil Shaikh, Managing Director of MEIR Commodities-India, reported that the sugarcane crop would be somewhat increased than last calendar year. “Sugarcane planting is on the verge of completion. We will get to know the specific closer to the peak monsoon period of time, but we assume increased acreage in Maharashtra and Karnataka,” he reported.

Maharashtra, UP situation

This period to September, sugar mills in Maharashtra have developed 106.three lakh tonnes (lt) of sugar after crushing one,012 lakh tonnes of cane with the crushing ending recently.

In accordance to the Sugar Commissioner Workplace, farmers in Maharashtra cultivated sugarcane on 11.42 lakh hectares when compared with eight.22 lakh hectares in 2019-20. An believed 12 lakh hectares might arrive below sugarcane with most gains coming from central Maharashtra.

Kolhapur and Pune regions dominate sugarcane cultivation in the Condition. These two regions crushed 46 for every cent of the sugarcane to deliver fifty for every cent of the complete sugar in Maharashtra in 2020-21.

In Uttar Pradesh, farmers planted sugarcane in excess of 23.ninety eight lakh hectares this period, marginally increased than 2019-20. “We even now do not know how much location will be protected this calendar year. The study is going on and we will get to know by early July,” reported the UPSMA official.

Till May possibly 31, Uttar Pradesh mills have developed all around 110 lt of sugar for the present period that began in October.

Dilemma of arrears

Sugarcane acreage in Karnataka is most likely to be the exact as that of last calendar year or see a marginal dip, reported Kurubur Shantakumar, President of Karnataka Cane Growers Association.

Sugarcane is cultivated on 10 lakh acres in the Condition, he reported.

Mills in Karnataka crushed about 353.forty five lakh tonnes of cane for the duration of the present period, Khandagave reported. Yet another 20 for every cent of the cane was diverted to deliver jaggery as perfectly for seed needs.

If there could be any problem with regard to sugarcane acreage, it is the money that mills owe to farmers who provided sugarcane.

In Maharashtra, mills have paid a net FRP of ₹22,043.13 crore or 94.fifty two for every cent of the complete payable FRP. Mills have to shell out ₹1,277.forty four crore to farmers as of June two.

On the other hand, the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar factories Restricted has expressed problem in excess of mills in the Condition offering sugar under bare minimum offering selling price of ₹3,a hundred for every quintal. This has led to paucity of cash, which could affect payment to growers future period.

In Karnataka, the cane arrears are to the tune of in excess of ₹1,000 crore for the present period, when there is an superb of ₹300-four hundred crore from the earlier several years, Shantakumar reported.

Sugar output

The outlook of a increased sugarcane output comes at a time when this season’s sugar output has been believed at 32.eight million tonnes (mt) with in excess of two mt going towards ethanol output. Very last period, output was 27.4 mt.

The USDA has projected that Indian sugar output future period would be another two mt increased, but it would end result in India carrying forward a increased stock than the 11 mt projected this calendar year.

The Indian sugar sector has been buoyed by government coverage that gave transport and other support for exports. This has assisted exports contact 6 mt this period when compared with five.seven mt last period.

The Centre came with a package that assisted every single tonne of sugar exported to get ₹6,000 as support when compared with an regular ₹9,750 last period.

The Union Authorities is believed to have put in all around Rs three,500 crore this period as export support when compared with ₹6,250 crore last period.

“Government coverage will be the crucial to the sugar industry’s fortunes and growers’ welfare,” reported MEIR Commodities’ Shaikh.

Professionals and cons

Whilst sugarcane is an uncomp
licated crop to expand, it has its have execs and cons. The crop guzzles water. For instance, farmers in water-starved Maharashtra use trillions of litres of water to cultivate sugarcane.

While sugarcane accounts for only 4 for every cent of the complete cropped location in the western Condition, it consumes 70 for every cent of the complete water made use of for irrigation.

In accordance to the Fee for Agricultural Expenses and Prices (CACP), in excess of two,500 litres of water is eaten to deliver a kg of sugar.

Also, sugarcane growers at this time fetch one.18 situations return on their investment decision if the cane is planted. In scenario of ratoon crop, which is truly chopping the stem and leaving the root component intact, the growers fetch a return of two.eight situations their investment decision.

The CACP has reported that the regular net return for sugarcane growers is 10 situations the realisation of cotton and gram place alongside one another.

With inputs from Radheshyam Jadhav, Pune Vishwanath Kulkarni, Bengaluru Tv Jayan, New Delhi and Subramani Ra Mancombu, Chennai)

(This is component of a collection of Kharif Outlook stories that have been showing in these columns since last 7 days. The stories will go on to appear in excess of the future handful of times.)