Indian sugar mills association

Sugarcane harvesters rumble gets louder

Date:	29 Dec 2011

Source:	Business Line

Reporter:	Rahul Wadke

News ID:	806

Pdf:
Nlink:

LABOUR SHORTAGE Mumbai, Dec. 28: The rumble of sugarcane harvesters has begun to replace the songs of cane cutters. And it has only increased in the current sugar season that began in October. Acute shortage of agricultural labourers is forcing farmers to use mechanical harvesters for cutting cane. Companies selling harvesters are seeing 100 per cent increase in the sales over last year. The harvester is a large machine weighing about eight tonnes and costs about Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1.10 crore. It can cut about 120 tonnes of sugarcane in about 16 hours. ALTERNATIVE EMPLOYMENT Farmers in major sugarcane growing States such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka are not getting labourers for cutting sugarcane. Employment guarantee scheme like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and road building projects are providing alternative employment to the labourers. Mr Gaurav Sood, General Manager (Crop Solutions) of New Holland Fiat (India) Pvt Ltd, told Business Line that since April about 180 harvesters have been sold across country, while last year the company could sell only about 70. The rush for harvesters is such that orders placed in July are being delivered in December, he said. This year there is a strong demand for harvesters from western and southern States, while the demand is picking up in Uttar Pradesh. Among all the States, Maharashtra is the largest buyer with about 70 harvesters already deployed in the field, he said. Mr Sood said that the Brazilin sugar industry has been using harvesters for the last 15 years and they are now selling about 1,200 harvesters a year. In India, that number would be reached in about three years, given the rapid demand for harvesters in the market. THAI HARVESTER Sensing a business opportunity, Shrijee Group, an established player in manufacturing sugar plant equipment, has tied up with a Thai manufacturer for supplying harvesters. Last year, it introduced the Thai harvester in Indian market and managed to sell 5 machines. But this year, 25 harvesters have already been sold and there is demand for more. Mr G. D. Agarwal, Chairman of Shrijee Group, said that the going is good for Indian harvester market with rising demand from sugar mills and private contractors who want to hire out the machines. The company has plans to manufacture its own machines by December 2013. With indigenisation the cost will come down by 20 per cent, he said. Mr Agarwal said that “Indian farmers are habituated to plant sugarcane in a very close nit manner, which makes it difficult for the machines to cut sugarcane completely in a farm. But the sugar mills have now started educating farmers that at least four feet distance is required between two beds. In a few years, it would be possible to cut the whole crop using harvester,” he said.

News

Navigation