India Urges Scientific Farming to Boost Sugarcane Productivity
Farmers in Uttar Pradesh are being encouraged to adopt improved sugarcane cultivation practices, including trench planting, scientific seed treatment and intercrop cultivation, to increase productivity while keeping production costs under control.
The emphasis was made during a farmers’ meeting organised at Mukandpur village in the Gola Gokaran Nath sugar mill area as part of the autumn sugarcane sowing campaign.
Dr P.K. Kapil, scientist from Shahjahanpur and deputy director of the Uttar Pradesh Sugarcane Farmers Institute, explained technologies aimed at improving sugarcane yields. He highlighted trench-method planting with intercrops, STP-based preparation of seed nurseries, use of Trichoderma for soil treatment and fungicide treatment of seed material.
Kapil urged growers to adopt scientific methods to improve sugarcane productivity. Farmers were also informed about nursery preparation using breeder sugarcane seed.
P.S. Chaturvedi, senior general manager (sugarcane), outlined the benefits of autumn planting and said trench-method cultivation at four-foot spacing, combined with intercrops, can provide benefits to growers.
He also explained the characteristics of sugarcane varieties such as Co.Lk.14201 and Co.0118, along with newer varieties Co.Sha.18231 and Co.Sha.19231.
The meeting was chaired by Sanjay Singh, director of the sugarcane cooperative society, while Rajiv Sharma, assistant general manager (sugarcane), conducted the proceedings.
Hundreds of farmers attended the meeting, along with prominent growers including Manohar Singh, village head Jai Bhagwan Singh, Soni, Baljeet Singh and Shri Bhagwan. Dr O.D. Sharma, assistant general manager (sugarcane), Rajesh Mishra and other sugar mill employees and field workers were also present.
The programme comes as Uttar Pradesh’s sugarcane sector continues to focus on improving farm-level productivity through better varieties, scientific cultivation practices and more efficient crop management.
