Project to raise sugarcane yield launched

The government has launched a project "Introduction of sugarbeet and enhancement of sugarcane productivity" to introduce low water consuming crop, to save water and supplement sugarcane production.
The cultivation of sugarbeet may also extend the crushing period of the existing sugar mills by providing an additional crop of sugarbeet.
Its production will enhance the profitability of the farmers enabling them to harvest more yields and produce more sugar to discourage import when the supply of cane is short.
According to official sources, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Minfal) has successfully conducted beet cultivation experiments on more than 15 locations in Sindh and six locations in Punjab, while the same experiments were continuing in Punjab and Sindh.
The results obtained were encouraging with regard to recovery yield and water usage. In Sindh sugarcane require about 70 to 80-acre inch of water while in Punjab it consumes about 44-acre inches water.
Sugarbeet can be inter-cropped in the month of September, while plantation of sugarcane requires no additional land. It would be an additional crop to produce more per hectare sugar and increase per acre profitability of the farmers.
The experiments conducted by the Minfal will not only help in finding new observation as to how handle this crop during post harvest operation, agronomic practices climatic suitability, but also in the long run it can prove prime source of sugar specially when water is short.
The Minfal with the cooperation of provisional government intended to continue these experiments for another five years to firm up its recommendation for better output on farmers field and to induct beet in the cropping pattern of Punjab and Sindh.
The only problem relating to marketing is affecting the farmers in selling their commodity and getting reasonable profit.
Beet is a new crop for Punjab and Sindh, the Minfal feels that if market was not provided, the growers will be discouraged and beet cultivation will be over once for all because of this single factor of marketing. Therefore, efforts are underway to facilitate marketing for this new crop of sugarbeet.
The Minfal is trying to find a suitable market because without market the beet success is not possible and efforts are being made to persuade the sugar millers to give positive response.