Water levels are falling and also the monsoon is delayed which may affect the standing sugarcane crops in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Looking at the present situation even farmers are delaying the new cane planting for the 2023-24 season in these States. The proper level of water is needed to harvest the crops and to obtain a good output.
Rainfall over the next 10 days is crucial for the crop
Virendra Singh, an Executive Director of Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd told that “The next 10 days are crucial for the sugarcane crops in Maharashtra and Karnataka. If it doesn’t rain by then, sugarcane yields are likely to be affected in these regions”. He operates seven sugar factories and three distilleries in these States. He further added, “Planting of sugarcane is slow. Farmers are seen delaying the planting of the cane on account of inadequate water availability”.
15% crops could damage as they are drying
Also from the mouth of a sugarcane broker Abhijit Ghorpade in Kolhapur, it is heard that this summer for sugarcane in western Maharashtra is very difficult. “If it doesn’t rain in the next week, there could be about 15% damage to the crops. Once the cane crop suffers damage, it would be hard to recover,” Ghorpade also added that the standing crop has started drying up and farmers have started using it as fodder to feed their cattle.
From Karnataka Atthalli Devaraj, Secretary of Karnataka Sugarcane Cane Growers Association said the same thing “Lack of adequate water has led to drying of cane in about 10 – 15% in the area in Karnataka.” In Kalghatgi, about 25k acres under cane have dried up this year. “It has not rained after Diwali and bore wells have dried up. As a result, the standing crop is drying up,” said Uluvappa Balgeri from Kalghatgi. Near about 20 factories in North Karnataka source their sugarcane from Kalghatgi.
Planted area has increased but the reservoir level has decreased
The main cane-producing districts in India are Kolhapur, Belgaum, Sangli, Bagalkot, Satara and Solapur. As on 16th June, Agriculture Ministry data showed that the total planted area under cane across the country stood at 4.98 Million Hectares. If we compare it with the previous year, it was 4.938 Million Hectares which shows an increment of about 1%.
Reservoir levels (the level of water in a reservoir corresponding to Conservation Storage Capacity) in the key cane-growing regions of North Karnataka and Maharashtra are much lower than the previous year’s levels on account of deficit rains in the season. The entire major district that produces cane is witnessing reduced reservoir levels.
To conclude, it is clearly seen that rain is a must for sugarcane. In fact, the present crop also needs rain otherwise crops would be damaged and it will cause adverse effects to the farmers of the country.