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Even as the crushing season coming to a close in Andhra Pradesh, sugarcane farmers seem to have decided to shift to other crops next year. The area is expected to come down by one-third as farmers are turning to crops such as maize, discouraged by poor returns.
The State is expected to close the season with 90 lakh tonnes cane crushed against the expectation of 103 lakh tonnes.
This is less than half of the crushing capacity of 200 lakh tonnes.
“We are expecting a decline in the crop area. Crushing could fall to 70 lakh tonnes next year if one goes by the poor cane plantation this year,” Nanduru Satyavenkateswara Sharma, Secretary of Federation of Sugarcane Producers’ Associations, told Business Line over phone from Hanuman Junction in Krishna district.
The average price farmers received was Rs 2,200-2,500 a tonne this season against their demand for Rs 3,500.
Farmers are showing interest in the short duration crop of maize.
“Unlike sugarcane that has a gestation period of 12-15 months, maize takes only three months to reap benefits,” he said. As a result, the new plantation sees a decline. With ratoon crop (the second or third crop from the same plant) fast depleting, the State is expected to grow sugarcane in two lakh acres, a drop by one lakh acres in the current year.
Rodent attack
It has not been a great year for sugar farmers in the area.
With farmers shunning paddy this rabi for want of water, rats have turned their attention to sugarcane.
“Farmers have lost heavily. They have attacked the crop on side of the National Highway, sparing the other side for want of right of way. “In some cases, farmers have lost up to 90 per cent,” Sharma said.
Demand
Farmers have recently met former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who is on a State-wide padayatra. “We have submitted a memorandum, asking for a price of Rs 3,500 a tonne.
“We have also demanded introduction of mechanisation in the cane farming, besides seeking a share in revenues from the by-products,” he said.
>kurmanath.kanchi@thehindu.co.in
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