Sugarcane is being said to be amongst the more water-intensive crops. However, this is not true. The following facts will open up the minds of the people who are missing out on some important points.
* Sugarcane is a 15-month crop as compared to four months for paddy and wheat, six months for cotton and jowar, and three-and-a-half months for soybean and chana. One has to actually look at water consumption on a monthly basis to have a correct comparison of water consumed by crops.
This is important, because if a farmer grows paddy in four months, he will grow another 1-2 crops in the balance period of the year, and therefore his plot of land will consume some more water after paddy. Total water drawn by all these 2-3 crops put together, then, should be compared with water used by the sugarcane crop. * The water requirement of some major crops in the country may be seen in the accompanying table. Among other things, it shows monthly water consumption by crops, which clearly indicates that the highest consumption of water per month is by paddy (325mm per month) and the lowest by jowar (100mm per month). Monthly consumption of water by sugarcane is similar to cotton and soybean (at 150mm per month) and lower than arhar. * The per-hectare yield of sugarcane, and thereafter sugar, is substantially higher than the per-hectare yield of most other crops, and therefore if one compares the water requirement per kg of the output, one would find that the water requirement for 1kg of sugar is amongst the lowest. For example, the water requirement per kg of sugar is around 1,500-2,000 litres, whereas the water required for producing 1kg of rice is 2,500-3,400 litres, and that for groundnut (in shell form) is 3,100 litres. Similarly, the water required for producing 1kg of cotton is as high as 10,000 litres.
At the industry level, where the sugarcane is processed to make sugar, the water requirement is in the ‘negative’. In other words, sugar industry is a unique industry, which is a net generator of water. In fact, as much as 70% of sugarcane is water and, therefore for every tonne of sugarcane that is crushed, 700 litres of water is generated, of which 500 litres is utilised in the factory for sugar processing, cooling towers as well as for cleaning of floors, machines, etc.
Even after that, about 200 litres of water is surplus, which, after due treatment, is given back to farmers for irrigation. There is no other industry which is a net generator of water. Thus, if one adds the water consumption at the industry level for other crops like paddy, cotton, wheat, soybean, pulses, etc, the amount of water consumed to make the final product available to consumers will be substantially higher than that used for sugarcane and sugar.
Another important point to remember is that, once sugar is produced, it is consumed in its natural form. As compared to that, other crops, including rice, wheat or pulses, need to be washed in our kitchens and these also require water for cooking before final consumption. Therefore, there is additional water required even after production, which is not the case with sugar.
Sugarcane is the most efficient crop when seen from the perspective of quantum or weight of biomass generated per unit of land or even per unit of water consumed. Sugarcane produces sugar, as also green power, alcohol, fuel ethanol and bio-compost. All these products are very much in demand and are useful in our everyday lives. None of the other agro-based industries produce similar products.
Not only this, sugarcane leaves (the foliage), which are retained by farmers, are utilised by them as cattle feed or fertiliser. Water consumption for production of sugar should, thus, be allocated amongst other products of sugarcane too. This will further reduce water use per kg of sugar.
There are some people talking, without adequate knowledge on the subject, that sugarcane should not be produced in Maharashtra, including in Marathwada. It is hoped that after this clarification, one realises that water consumption by other important competing crops in Maharashtra, including Marathwada, like cotton, soybean and paddy—which cover much more area than sugarcane does—consume more water per month as also in the 12 months of the year as compared to sugarcane.
Hence, the solution is not to stop sugarcane production in Maharashtra, because in that case farmers will shift to crops such as paddy, cotton or soybean, which will require more quantum of water as compared to sugarcane, especially on a monthly consumption basis, as also increase the water required at the industry level and in the housewives’ kitchens.
The solution lies not in banning any crop, but in ensuring a more efficient utilisation of water at the farm level. Drip irrigation and sprinkler systems are far more efficient than the flood irrigation method. In fact, these systems can reduce water requirement by up to 50%, and at the same time ensure that the productivity of the crop increases substantially, giving double benefits to farmers as well as the country. Ultimately, the solution is incentivising as well as subsidising drip irrigation and sprinkler systems, not in banning or discouraging sugarcane production.