Facing acute shortage of sugarcane due to less production of the crop this year, a sugar mill in Phagwara has launched a unique scheme to promote cultivation of sugarcane — “Grow sugarcane and get a motorcycle”.
While sugar mills are already offering much higher prices than the statutory minimum price of Rs 180 per quintal announced by the Centre, they are more concerned about the next season.
“We have announced to give a Hero Honda Splendor motorcycle to every farmer who grows at least 15 acres of sugarcane in the coming season,” said Chairman of the Wahid Sandhar Sugar Mill Phagwara Jarnail Singh Wahid, who also happens to be the Chairman of Markfed.
While last year the mill announced a motorcycle for growing cane in 20 acres and 17 farmers took away the prize, this year 15 growers have already got enlisted for the offer. Giving motorcycles appears to be workable option for him as the mill would crush only for 60 days, even less than half the ideal duration of crushing.
A farmer of the sugarcane belt, Tarlochan Singh, said he was determined to get a motorcycle. “Moreover, the trend shows that farmers would get good price next year also,” he quipped.
Meanwhile Wahid said in the autumn sowing area under sugarcane under Phagwara Mill had increased from 500 acres this season to 2,500 acres for the next crushing season.
He revealed that they were paying Rs 240 to the farmers. “Those who are adapting Phagwara technique of cane growing, which has yielded very good results in decreasing the input cost and increasing the production nearly three fold, are also being provided free seed while spray of pesticides is offered at a very subsidised rate,” he said.
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“This is the worst year in terms of cane yield and mills are bearing the brunt,” said Managing Director of Rana Sugars Ltd, Amritsar Rana Inder Partap Singh. Ranas’ mill is among the three in the state having maximum crushing capacity of 6,500 tonnes per day.
He also revealed that they were giving Rs 240 per quintal. “Last year also though area under cane was not up to the requirement, still we crushed for 100 days but this season it would be for 75 days only,” he disclosed adding “good prices of wheat and paddy discouraged farmers to grow cane.”
Even cooperative mills are trying to compete, though with tied hands. Former chairman of the Nawanshahr Cooperative Sugar Mill Rana Kuldeep Singh, said they were paying Rs 20 extra as bonus and Rs 10 in shape of subsidies and thus every quintal was costing them in Rs 210.
”Government policies are averse to cooperative sector and even poaching by private mills also took place in our area and it was after much hue and cry that government allowed us to pay extra than the SMP to farmers,” Singh revealed. However, he said with the prevailing rates also, area under cultivation was not expected to increase under sugarcane due to good prices of wheat and paddy.