Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
rotation and organic recycling for several decades have depleted
the soil fertility considerably. Sugarcane is a labour- and input-
intensive crop that remains in the field for more than a year. The
cost of sugarcane cultivation has gone up significantly due to
the increase in cost of labour and inputs. Labour availability for
major operations such as harvest has also become scarce due to
the migration of labourers seeking urban employment. The cost
of harvest is Rs. 450-650/tonne in the tropics which is more
than 25% of the sale value of the products.
7. 6 Demand for sugar and allied products
Sugarcane is the basic raw material for sugar production, while
molasses bagasse from the feedstock are the by-products of the
sugar industry for ethanol production and cogeneration, respec-
tively. The projected requirement of sugar in 2030 is 36 million
tonnes, which is about 50% higher than at present. To achieve
this target, the sugarcane production should be about 500 mil-
lion tonnes from the current 350 million tonnes for which the
production has to be increased by 7-8 million tonnes annually.
The increased production has to be achieved from the existing
cane area through improved productivity and sugar recovery
since further expansion in cane area is not feasible.
Interna tional
trends
The current global sugarcane production is about 165 m tonnes,
nearly 80% of which is contributed by cane sugar. The global
demand for sugar at present is close to 167 m tonnes, and it is
estimated that by 2030 the requirement will go up by over 50%
to 257 m tonnes. The major producers are Brazil, India, China,
Thailand, the United States, Mexico and Australia. The new
sugar industries are coming up in many African countries such
as Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Guinea and
so on, while sugar production in some of the traditional sugar-
producing countries such as Fiji and Mauritius has come down
significantly for various reasons.
7. 7 Challenge of climate change
The success of agriculture in India much depends on normal
monsoons as the favourable weather condition. In the National
Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) the government has
listed eight missions to combat climate change and bring down
the country's emission level in the long term. A mission on
Search WWH ::




Custom Search