Sugarcane a boon for women self help groups, farmers alike

Lucknow: With the efforts of the Yogi Adityanath government, sugarcane is becoming a means of women empowerment along with the prosperity of the farmers.

With a view to increasing sugarcane productivity, reducing production cost and producing sugarcane with high sugar coating, the department is paying attention to the five components of autumn sugarcane sowing, co-cropping, sowing by trench method, installation of drip irrigation plants, paddy management and trash mulching.

As a result, along with the productivity of sugarcane and sugar yield, the income of the farmers has increased.

Farmers get additional income of 50 to 60 thousand per hectare

Due to 15 to 20 percent more yield and early ripening of sugarcane as compared to spring sowing of sugarcane in autumn season, operations of sugar mills can be started on time. By sowing sugarcane by trench method, the yield increases due to the increase in sugarcane’s accumulation and yield and inter-cropping farming becomes easier in the gap between 02 lines of sugarcane.  By growing seasonal crops of vegetables, pulses, oilseeds and cereals, spices or flowers along with sugarcane, farmers get an additional income of about Rs.50,000 to 60,000 per hectare. By providing water directly to the plants through drip irrigation method, along with quality production, water and energy are also saved.

Under track mulching, farmers mulch the residue after harvesting sugarcane. This supplies organic matter to the soil and increases its fertility. Simultaneously, conservation of moisture helps in saving irrigation water. As a result of the successful operation of the appropriate programmes, the total sugarcane area increased by about 8 lakh hectares, as well as additional production of 9.93 tonnes per hectare and additional income of Rs 34,656 per hectare to the farmers. This works out to a total of Rs.9887 crore on the total sugarcane area of 28.53 lakh hectares.

Women self help groups earned an income of 88.15 lakhs

So far sugarcane saplings have been prepared by 3166 women self-help groups created by the department. He has earned an income of 88.15 lakhs from its distribution. In this way, this program is playing an important role in providing local employment to rural women and increasing the production of new sugarcane varieties.

Sugarcane payment of more than two lakh crores done in 6 years

Sugarcane farmers have been paid sugarcane price of Rs 2,03,668 crore in six years by the Yogi government. Under the new Khandsari Licensing Policy, licenses were issued for the establishment of 284 new Khandsari units, due to which farmers are getting additional option of sugarcane supply.