Question : SUGARCANE CULTIVATION



(a) the total area of land in terms of hectare covered under sugarcane cultivation during the year 2006; State-wise;

(b) whether the Government has formulated any scheme for promotion of sugarcane cultivation; and

(c) if so, the details thereof?

Answer given by the minister


MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE (SHRI KANTI LAL BHURIA)

(a): The total area under sugarcane cultivation during 2006 is estimated at 47.87 lakh hectares. The area in major sugarcane growing States is as under:

State	Area (Lakh ha)
Andhra Pradesh 2.57 Bihar 1.77 Gujarat 1.90 Haryana 1.51 Karnataka 2.10 Maharashtra 8.40 Punjab 0.92 Tamil Nadu 3.50 Uttar Pradesh 22.47 Uttarakhand 1.21

(b) & (c): To increase the production and productivity of sugarcane, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Sustainable Development of Sugarcane Based Cropping System (SUBACS) under Macro Management of Agriculture is implemented in 23 States/Union Territories namely; Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Pondicherry. The scheme provides assistance for field demonstrations, training of farmers and extension workers, farm implements/machinery, heat treatment plants, production of planting material and drip irrigation.

Besides, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution is providing soft loans to sugar mills from Sugar Development Fund for setting up of heat treatment plants, rearing seed nurseries, pest control measures, incentives to cultivators to switch over to improved varieties of sugarcane, irrigation schemes, ratoon management, and tissue culture/soil testing/ biological control laboratories.