Saurashtra farmers return to sugarcane

While sugarcane production in Gujarat is decreasing steadily, the Saurashtra region in the state has started getting good results.

Experts say that the farmers in the region have taken to sugarcane cultivation after 30 long years. In fact, some districts that are not known for the crop, have turned to sugarcane.

According to them, the rise in sugarcane cultivation in the region is due to water conservation activity through check dams.

The Saurashtra region is known for its water scarcity and as a result the farmers here had so far stayed away from sugarcane cultivation.

As per the figures provided by the department of agriculture, various districts of the region have registered a substantial growth in the last 10 years. Per hectare production of sugarcane in districts like Rajkot, Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, and Bhuj-Kutch has increased while one more district, Porbandar, started cultivation of sugarcane since 2001-2002.

According to the figures, the sugarcane yield in Junagadh district increased to 96,100 metric tonne in 2005-06 from 84,345 metric tonne and is projected to touch 100,000 metric tonne in 2006-2007.

The cultivation area in the district too increased to 34,330 hectare in 2005-06 from 16,869 hectare in 1995-96.

In Bhavnagar district, the sugarcane yield which was 6,506 kg per hectare in 1995-96 increased to 7,387 kg in 2005-2006.

In Amreli, though the production took a dip during the middle of the last decade, it managed to maintain the level in the last part.

The yield was 7,500 kg per hectare in 2000-01, which dipped to 5,735 kg in 2000-01, but came back to normal in 2005-06 with 7,190 kg per hectare production in the district.

The farmers of Porbandar district, have taken to sugarcane cultivation since 2001-2002.

Meanwhile, the farmers in districts like Rajkot and Bhuj-Kutch have begun to increase their sugarcane cultivation area since 1995-96.

Rajkot which had nil sugarcane cultivation area in 1995-96 cultivated sugarcane in 1,058 hectare in 2006-07.

Similarly, Bhuj-Kutch also registered an increase in sugarcane cultivation.

The area under sugarcane area, which was only 120 hectare in 1995-96, has gone up to 590 hectare in 2006-07. The production of these districts ranges between 100 tonne and 120 tonne per hectare.

Talking to Business Standard, Mansukh Suhagiya, a Rajkot-based farmer who is active in water conservation movement in the Saurashtra region, said, "The farmers of Junagadh, Rajkot, Amreli and Jamnagar have started taking to sugarcane recently after a gap of decades. Sugarcane was cultivated in these areas till 80s which stopped after that and for the last five years farmers have again started cultivating sugarcane."

He further said, "The fertility of the land has improved a lot making it conducive for sugarcane cultivation. This is mainly due to the water conservation movement started voluntarily by the farmers of the region."

He said, "The water level has increased because of the check dams built by the farmers of this region and the government also joined in the movement afterwards. As many as 30,000 check dams built in the region have helped in recharging ground water. Farmers of Jamka village in Junagadh built 51 check dams in 1995 without any government grant. This has resulted in the farmers of Jamka reaping rich sugarcane crops during the last two years. The farmers in Amreli, Jamnagar and Rajkot are also benefiting a lot."