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SUGARCANE



INTRODUCTION


Sugarcanes belong to the family Gramineae. The common sugarcane is classified as Saccharum officinarum.
Sugarcane is the most important commercial crop of tropical countries. Sugarcane is certainly one of the most profitable crops. There is always a ready market for the manufactured sugar. The bulk of sugar that enters the world trade, however, is refined from sugarcane.
Sugarcane is a perennial crop. But generally only one or two crops are obtained and then fresh planting is done. The first crop is called the plant cane and the succeeding crops are called ratoon crops. Generally, good yields from ratoon crop are obtained only for one or two years. Depending upon climatic conditions, sugarcane takes 10 to 24 months to ripen.


ORIGIN


The home of sugarcane is the Ganges Valley. By 800 AD, the Arabs had introduced sugarcane in the Mediterranean lands. From there, it was carried to the Americas during the days of Columbus. It was, however, in 17th century that it began to replace honey for sweetening purpose in Europe. But in the 19th century, cane was itself faced with a competitor, the beet. The extraction of sugar from beet is a costly affair. The yield of sugarcane is 10 times more than beet. Therefore, in an open market, beet cannot compete with cane. Under governmental protection, beet-sugar industry flourishes in a number of countries. On the average, 65% of the world’s sugar production consists of cane-sugar and 35% of beet-sugar.


GEOGRAPHICAL CONDITIONS


Sugarcane is a product of tropical countries requiring high temperature, abundance of water and rich soil. It also flourishes in sub-tropical countries. High temperature ranging between 18o and 30o C throughout the year, and a rainfall of 1500 mm (60”) annually with a dry ripening and harvesting season are the ideal climatic conditions. Sea breezes give further nourishment to the sugarcane and increase sucrose content.

Temperature

Sugarcane does not flourish in low temperature. Temperature should be suitable throughout the year. At the same time, high temperature should not continue for the longer period. It requires high temperature during the first stage of vegetative growth. But in the later period of its growth and during its ripening season, temperature should be comparatively lower to ensure higher yield and higher sucrose content. In the regions where the growing season of sugarcane is 8 months, low temperature for its growth is also suitable. Plenty of sunshine and absence of frost give better yield. Temperature varying from 65o F to 68o F is suitable.

Rainfall

A considerable amount of moisture and absence of drought conditions are necessary during its growing period. Under drought conditions, the cane does not get its usual diameter, the inter-nodes are shortened, and also superfluous fibers grow in large number. The combine effects of all these decrease the sucrose content. The cane gets moisture either by rain or by irrigation when there is not enough rainfall. Rainfall ranging between 40” and 70” contributes much to the healthy growth of sugarcane. But ripening and harvesting season should be dry to ensure much juice. Frequent heavy showers in absence of proper irrigation system are necessary. Sunny irrigated areas provide an ideal factor for sugarcane production. Heavy rainfall and high humidity throughout the year stunt the growth of the cane. In dry regions, the moisture is supplied entirely by the irrigation, such as coastal valley of Peru, and some parts of India and Pakistan. Cane grown in dry regions under irrigation system gives better results because the moisture through this system is controlled.

Soil

Rich soils are very suitable for sugarcane. A moist soil adopted for rice produces better cane. It thrives best on rich and well-drained soils, rich in phosphates. The soil must contain lime and salt. Loamy and slightly alkaline soils give better yield. Red soils, which develop under forest vegetation, are preferable. In many cane producing regions alluvial soils are preferred. It is an exhaustive crop, so application of manure is necessary to maintain the fertility of the soil. The land should be leveled with proper drainage system.

Other Factors


a. Sugar production in all its stages requires a large labor supply therefore labor must be cheap and abundant.
b. Sugar industry is located close to the sugarcane plantations, because of several factors:
a. Sugarcane is a bulky thing. The sugar content does not exceed 14-15%. So the cost of transportation is heavy.
b. Sugarcane begins to loose weight and reduction of sucrose content starts as soon as it is cut.
c. Sugarcane rots easily.
d. Sugarcane bagasse (fiber of sugarcane) is enough to run the mill. No coal or other means of power are required.
c. Sugar industry is not possible without huge investment of capital. So huge capital is also one of the necessary factors in this connection.
d. Effective government support is also necessary for the cane cultivation. It is the only cheap source of sugar and at the same time the source of governmental revenue. Sugar industry provides huge employment to the people, thus employment is also mitigated.


VARIETIES


Hundreds of varieties of sugarcane are found and different varieties are developed in various cane producing countries. Broadly, it has been classified into;
a. the tropical varieties; and,
b. the Indian varieties.
The Indian varieties are poor in sucrose content and rich in fiber content and just reverse is the case with tropical varieties. Many varieties have been developed by crossing Saccharum officinarum with the other species and these varieties yield high crops and contain high sucrose content. In Java, a variety known as P.O.B. 2878 has been developed through a long series of thousands of crossings. This variety has high yielding capacity and is resistant to the Serch disease.

PRODUCTION

Asia

India

India is the leading producer of sugarcane in Asia and second in the world. The entire Ganges Valley with its deep alluvium is producing sugarcane. Madras and Bombay are two notable provinces outside northern plains which grew cane. Irrigation is practised almost everywhere. Canals, tube wells and wells are utilized in northern India and tanks in southern India. The cane is of inferior variety and the yield per acre is low.
Sugarcane is grown in almost all the states of India, but its cultivation is mostly concentrated in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka etc.
In UP, the most important district producing sugarcane are Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Namital, Bhabar, Azamgarh, Ballia, Varanasi (Benares), Gorakhpur, Jaunpur, Pilibhit etc. UP accounts for 50% of the total production of India.
In Bihar, the important sugarcane growing districts are Champaran, Gopalganj, Siswan, Muzaffarpur, Buddh Gaya, Saran, Samastipur, Palamau etc.
In Punjab, sugarcane is mostly cultivated in the districts of Jullundhur, Gurdaspur, Sangrur, Rupanagar, Patiala, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Hoshiarpur.
In Haryana; Ambala, Rohtak, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Tind Sonepat are important sugarcane districts.
During the last 35 years or so, a spatial change has taken place in the sugarcane states. The hitherto major sugarcane producing states like UP and Bihar are facing intense competition from Maharashtra, Karnataka and other southern states. Assured irrigation and attractive sugarcane prices have contributed to the expansion of area in Maharashtra and southern states.
In Maharashtra, the cultivation of sugarcane is concentrated in Ahmadnagar, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Pune, Nasik, Sholapur, Aurangabad etc. Maharashtra ranks second in area and production in Indian Union.
Although sugarcane is grown in the whole state of Andhra Pradesh, but the districts of west Godavari, Nizamabad, Chittor, east Godavari and Vishkhapatnam have a commercial production.
Even though sugarcane is grown all over Gujrat, in favorable localities to some extent or the other because of its great yield, its greatest concentration occurs in Surat, Rajkot, Bulsar, Junagadh etc.
Sugarcane cultivation is also done in Madhya Pradesh, specially in Betul, Ratlam, Gwalior, Indore, Sohore; in Orissa specially in Puri, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Ganjam etc.; in Kerala state specially in Iddiki, Alleppey, Palghat, and Quilon districts; and in Assam state specially Sibsagar, Nowgong, Cachar, Mikir Hill etc.

Pakistan

Sugarcane is an important cash and industrial crop of Pakistan and accounts for about 5% of total cropped area in the country. It serves as the major raw material for the production of white sugar and Gur. In Pakistan, sugarcane is grown under intensive subsistence type of agriculture. Yield per hectare is very low – 46.94 ton/hectare in 1995-96. The upper Indus Valley is the main region of sugarcane cultivation in Pakistan. Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and Sialkot are important districts of sugarcane. Sindh and NWFP are other important areas.

Year-------Area(000 hec.)--Production(000 ton)--Yield (ton/hec.)

1993-94 -------963----------------44,427------------46.14
1994-95 ------1,009---------------47,168------------46.70
1995-96 -------963----------------45,230------------46.94


China

Sugar needs both heat and moisture and, therefore, is limited to the southern provinces, but it can be grown either as a perennial, when the necessary conditions prevail all the year round, or as an annual in regions of hot moist summer. The principal provinces concerned in this cultivation are Kwangtung, Kwangsi-Chuang, and Fukien, and to a limited extent, southern Chekiang and Hunan. In the west, sugarcane is grown in Szechwan, and in Yunnan. In southeastern China, 1 to 2 crops are harvested each year. The fields of sugarcane are largely unaffected by seasonal changes, these lie mainly near the east river and round Punyu, Shuntak and Tangshan, Suchow, where there are sugar mills.
China ranks 5th in sugarcane hectareage and 4th in production in the world. China produces about 6% of the world’s output of sugar. China is endeavoring hard to increase its sugar production.

Indonesia

Indonesian sugarcane production has steadily been declined since 1930, when it produced 3 million metric tonnes. Within 5 years it declined to 1 million metric tonnes. A further set back was caused by the World War II. Thereafter it has been steadily increasing and stood at 25 million tonnes. This fall in sugarcane hectareage is by no means unusual in Indonesia. It has been steadily decreasing for last two decades.
Java is the main producer of Indonesian sugarcane. It is a small island with dense population. Labor is cheap and efficient. The application of heavy fertilizer, irrigation, careful tillage, selection of cane and rotation of crop assure high yield per acre. Being in the equatorial region, it gets plenty of heat and sunshine. It comes under the influence of monsoons which assure heavy rainfall.
The sugarcane crop is the 3rd most important crop of Indonesia after plantation crops. For most farmers, mainly those of eastern Java, sugarcane cultivation offers little attraction, specially in the light of better returns in switching over plantation crops. Southeast Asia is the main market of Javanese sugar. A small quantity is also taken by Britain.

The Philippines

In Southeast Asia, the Philippines is now the leading producer of sugarcane. Most of the soils are volcanic and fertile. The temperature is reduced in most parts by elevation, and modified by oceanic winds. All regions experience a fairly heavy rainfall in summer, which is excessive on the southwestern slopes of Philippines. The Philippines have excellent climatic and soil conditions for sugarcane growing on the low plains of the western sides. The Philippines were the first to reconstruct their sugar industry after the war.
Sugarcane is a commercial crop and occupies the largest hectareage. Sugarcane is widely grown all over the islands, but the commercial production is largely confined to Panay, Negros, Luzon, Cebu, and north of Manila. Philippines ranks 6th in area and 10th in sugarcane production. Sugar is the chief export. Its main markets are the US and Japan, both of which import crystal sugar from the Philippines.


South America

Brazil

Brazil is the leading producer of South America. Brazil ranks 2nd in area and first in production in the worlds. Brazil ranks 1st in South American countries in area and production. Sugarcane is grown mainly on the southeastern coastal region of Brazil. Sao Paulo and adjacent regions produce more than 50% of the Brazil’s sugarcane. Northeastern coastal strip and east central rolling plateau are the sugarcane regions.

Colombia

Although Colombia ranks 3rd in sugarcane area, but 2nd in production in South America and 10th in the world. The multiplication program of new varieties is in progress. The cane growers are persuaded to adopt new cost technology, trash mulching, and removal of old leaves. From the plant and application of potash fertilizers before closure of irrigation to minimize the yield loss. Proper ratoon management which includes stubble shaving, and maintaining plant protection is given emphasis. Special programs are being launched by the State Agriculture Department to boost sugarcane production.

Argentina

Argentina ranks 2nd in area and 3rd in sugar production in South American countries and 14th in the world. Argentina gets enough sugar for home consumption from its only sugarcane region in the province of San Miguel de Tucumán. The plains of Paraná and Salado provide very ideal climatic conditions for the growth of sugarcane. In this region whenever natural rainfall lacks, water from local canals is resorted and the water requirements are fulfilled.

Peru

Peru ranks first in per hectare yield in the world and 4th area and production in South American countries. Peru produces about 1.2% of the world’s output of sugar. Peru with its alluvial soils, plenty of sunshine high temperature, irrigation facilities, produces commercial sugar in its 15 coastal valleys.

North America

Mexico

Mexico ranks 7th in sugarcane and 5th in sugar production in the world. Sugarcane cultivation is mostly concentrated in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Veracruz etc. The sugar industry in Mexico is expanding and sugar has emerged as a main item of export. The need is only to produce more sugar of better quality. So Mexico may continue to enjoy the confidence of the buyers in the sugar market. Mexico produce 4.4% of the world’s output.

USA

USA ranks 9th in area and 7th in production. USA produces about 3% of the world’s output of sugar. The main sugarcane area of the USA is in Hawaii. Hawaiian sugarcane plantation is based upon the virgin volcanic soils and the vast market of the USA. sugarcane is also cultivated in southern states of the USA specially in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Georgia. California valley is also important for sugarcane production. The winter frost has confined cane in few favored areas of the USA like southern Louisiana, coastal strip in eastern Texas, and a few localities in Florida. There, too, its life is not out of danger.
The exceptionally fertile soils ensures highest yield per acre in the world and makes possible 5 or 6 ratoon crops. Ratooning is a great boon for those thinly populated regions. The vast home market has made sugar plantation a profitable industry inspite of the great labor involved and huge capital invested over irrigation, fertilizer, and machinery. The utilization of sugarcane for sugar production by factories has a direct relationship with the prevailing prices of sugar products and hence there is always a wide variation in the area and yield of sugarcane.

Australia

About 1600 km of eastern coastal regions of Australia from Queensland to New South Wales, produce sugarcane. Most of the sugar is consumed at home, while a small amount is exported to foreign countries specially to Japan. Human labor is available at hand. High labor costs raise production costs, so sugarcane cultivation is subsidized by the government. Australia produces about 2.5% of the world’s output.

West Indies

Cuba

Cuba’s economy is dependent upon a single commodity – the sugarcane. Cuba was the leading exporter and producer of cane-sugar in the world for quite a few years. Still it is 3rd largest producer of sugarcane in the world. This has become possible owing to the assembling of a number of favorable factors.
Half of the Cuban land, with gently rolling topography and flat valley floors, is fit for the cane plantation. Rich calcareous soils are covered with grass, which become a source of humus. The climate is ideal. Rainfall ranges between 1000-2000 mm and occurs in summer – the growing period. The period from December to April remains comparatively dry and cool when the cane ripens and harvesting is done. Dry ripening season increases the sucrose content and makes possible the transportation of cane in ox wagons which would have been otherwise difficult in muddy wet season. Cuba is a long narrow island, so the cane fields are not very far from the coast. It has one disadvantage that it is sparsely populated. So the labor is imported and the wage remains high. This is offset by the proximity of the market, short haulage to the coast and 4 to 8 ratoon crops.
Sugarcane is grown in all the island but the main producing regions are North of Holguin, Camagüey, Arch de Camagüey etc. Cuba produces about 10% of the world’s output of sugar.

Other Caribbean Areas


Puerto Rico turned its primitive subsistence agriculture to plantation farming after its sugar get a free access to the USA. Its economy is now based on sugarcane like Cuba’s. many other Caribbean islands, like Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad, have favorable climatic and soil conditions. Sugarcane plantation is expanding in these islands.

Africa

Sugarcane farming in Africa is no more an art but an industry. The prospects for sugarcane in African countries are very bright. The increase in supply is mainly because larger areas are brought under sugarcane cultivation. The farmers in the Tropical states of Africa, guided by better price realization have diverted more land for sugarcane. The area under sugarcane in the continent fluctuated depending upon the price realization by the farmers. There is a scope for improving the productivity of sugarcane from the present level of 80 tons/hectare. Attempts are being made to increase production in Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, and West African countries. Sufficient cane is also grown in Natal, Mauritius and Reunion. The islands of Mauritius and Reunion engage imported labor from China and India and export almost all the sugar they produce. The Union of South Africa produces the largest amount of sugarcane in Africa.

TRADE

Sugar is an unique commodity in which tropical and temperature producers compete. Temperate countries being the main consumers and importers can protect their home sugar industry by tariff wall. The tropical producers have the advantage of producing sugar at a cheaper cost.
The world sugar trade was faced with the problem of low prices and surplus production in 1920. In 1930, Chardbourne Agreement was signed by several countries to restrict production, but increased production in countries caused its failure. In 1937, the International Sugar Agreement was signed by 22 producing and consuming countries. But the World War II, which followed, did not give sufficient time to the Agreement to works. However, on the basis of this, a fresh agreement was signed in 1953, which has been renewed several times.

Exports

The total world production of sugarcane is more than 1 billion metric tonne. Only 4-5% of refined sugar enters the world trade market, nearly ½ of it from the Americas. The major produce of sugarcane is Brazil, followed by India and Cuba. Despite being 3rd in overall production, Cuba leads all countries in the export of sugar. Until 1960, its chief market was the USA. After that former USSR, China and the East European countries have become its chief market.
Australia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Mauritius, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Peru and Poland are other important exporters.

Imports

The USA is the leading importer of sugar in the world, followed by the former USSR, Britain, Japan, Canada and France.

Trade of Pakistan

Pakistan achieved self-sufficiency in sugar throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. due to increase in sugar consumption and decline in the consumption of Gur in rural areas, Pakistan has been importing sugar since 1984-85. The imports bill of sugar reached Rs. 551 million in 1994-95, and Rs. 35 million till March 1995-96.
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