Sugar in Uttar Pradesh has regained its sweetness. After many years of bitterness, the sugar sector in the state is seeing one of its best phases in many years. A good crop, excellent weather conditions, increased acreage, higher yields and an unprecedented surge in sugar prices have all contributed to bringing back the smiles on the faces of both farmers as well as millers. But what is perhaps the best part is the outstanding sugar recovery this year, which has made scientists, experts and the industry sit up and take note.
So intrigued is the Maharashtra sugar industry with UP’s feat that a team of five experts and scientists from the Deccan Sugar Technologists Association (DSTA), Pune is currently visiting sugar mills in Lucknow and its adjoining districts, trying to decipher the secret behind the phenomenon.
Speaking to FE, Ajit Chougule, the convener of DSTA Agricultural Committee and executive director of West Indian Sugar Mills Association, says, “During the ongoing sugar season, 2015-16, UP sugar mills have registered an appreciable sugar recovery rise ranging from 1% to 1.5% in aggregate. A DSTA team therefore decided to visit Lucknow and its adjoining districts, and make field visits to four sugar mills as well as the Indian Institute of Sugar Research Lucknow and interact with officials, farmers and scientists. We have come to learn, study and analyse the reasons behind this phenomenal change.” The four sugar mills that the team from Maharashtra visited were Biswan, Hargaon in Sitapur, Sultanpur and Haidergarh.
“During field visits, we found that apart from the fact that nature had favoured the state this year, UP had introduced a new variety of sugarcane, CO-0238. An increased acreage under this variety, which also gives a much higher yield and sugar recovery, has contributed to the sudden boost,” he said, adding that another fact that contributed to increased recovery was the minimal time taken between harvesting the cane and crushing it. “Biswan sugar mill for example, managed to crush the cane within 24 hours of its harvesting. Therefore, there was minimal loss of the sugar content,” he said.
Enumerating the take-aways of the visit before departing for Pune, Chougule said that the team will submit a report to the Maharashtrra government, which will advise on replicating the UP story in Maharashtra.
“We will tell the Maharashtra government that the CO-0238 variety needs to be popularised in the state’s research stations too. We are taking the seeds so that we can start on the trials, which will three years,” he said.
At present, Maharashtra has an average recovery of 11.5%, as against UP’s average of 10.6%. Last year, UP had an average recovery of 9.55%.
“Almost all sugar mills in UP, especially those in the private sector, have shown a substantial increase in their recoveries. While Biswan has clocked the highest recovery of 12.37% and Hargaon at 11.90%, almost all have broken the 10% bar. And this is primarily because of the introduction of a varietal mix and the weather. This year, there was less vegetative growth and more sucrose formation, thus helping in higher recovery,” said Deepak Guptara, secretary UP Sugar Mills Association.