New Delhi, Sep 30 (IANS) Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said that a dedicated team will be set up within the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for sugarcane research in the country.

This team will also work on the sugarcane policy. The Minister made this announcement while addressing a national discussion on the sugarcane economy, organised by Rural Voice and the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories in collaboration with ICAR.

Chouhan said that sugarcane variety 238 have shown good sugar content but is vulnerable to red rot disease. He emphasised the need to work simultaneously on developing alternatives. Controlling diseases, he said, is a critical challenge since new varieties often bring new disease risks.

The minister pointed out that mono-cropping leads to multiple problems, including nutrient depletion and limitations in nitrogen fixation. The possibility of replacing mono-cropping with intercropping, he noted, requires careful assessment.

“We are aware of the challenges,” Chouhan said. “We must focus on increasing production and mechanisation, reducing costs, and improving sugar recovery. Water use is a serious concern. Under the principle of ‘per drop, more crop,’ we need strategies to reduce water requirements. At the same time, we must consider the financial burden on farmers, since drip irrigation involves significant costs.”

The minister also stressed the importance of bioproducts. He noted that while ethanol and molasses have well-established uses, new value-added products need to be developed to increase farmers’ profits. He also underlined the potential of natural farming to help reduce fertilizer dependency.

The minister acknowledged the issues around the sugar value chain, stating that farmers’ grievances about delayed payments are genuine. While sugar mills face their own difficulties, he said, farmers remain at a disadvantage when payments are delayed.

He further highlighted the shortage of agricultural labor and suggested training and capacity building, along with innovations in mechanisation, to make sugarcane harvesting less labor-intensive.

ICAR Director General and DARE Secretary, Dr. M.L. Jat, set out four key areas the research needs to address: defining research priorities, identifying developmental challenges to advance research, tackling industry-related issues, recommending policy steps to support the sector.

—IANS

na/