A review meeting on sugarcane variety replacement, seed change, and increasing spring planting for the 2024-25 crushing season was held today at the Sugarcane Commissioner’s Office in Lucknow. The meeting was chaired by Veena Kumari, Principal Secretary of the Sugarcane Industry and Cane Development Department, Uttar Pradesh. Participants included the Sugarcane Commissioner of Uttar Pradesh, Managing Director of the Cooperative Sugar Mills Federation, Additional Sugarcane Commissioner (Development)/Director of the Uttar Pradesh Sugarcane Research Council, Chief Sugarcane Development Advisor of the Cooperative Sugar Mills Federation, progressive sugarcane farmers, representatives of sugar mills, scientists from sugarcane research institutes, and departmental officers. The meeting was attended both physically and virtually.
Kumari highlighted the need to replace the sugarcane variety Co 0238, which has been affected by red rot disease, leading to a decline in yield. She emphasized the importance of ensuring adequate sugarcane planting to meet the crushing capacity of sugar mills. To address this, the replacement of Co 0238 with high-yielding, disease-resistant, and high-sugar-content varieties is essential. The state government has approved new sugarcane varieties through research institutes, which are capable of delivering good yields and sugar recovery rates while being resistant to red rot disease.
The selected varieties for replacing Co.0238 include early-maturing varieties such as CoS 19231, CoSe 17451, Co 15023, Co 0118, CoLk 14201, CoLk 16202, Cos 13235, Cos 17231, Cos 18831, and CoLk 15466. Among these, CoSe 17451, CoLk 16470 (mid-late), and CoLk.15466 are specifically recommended for eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Sugar mills have allocated a budget of ₹202.09 crore from their resources for spring planting. For the first time, sugar mills have been instructed to open dedicated accounts for development programs to ensure transparency in expenditure.
It was also noted that some seed producers are attempting to sell counterfeit sugarcane varieties under the names of newly developed varieties by research institutes. Strict legal action has been ordered against such producers to ensure the purity and quality of seeds. District sugarcane officers have been directed to identify and take necessary action against such producers, with sugar mills providing necessary support in this effort.
In recent months, symptoms of pests and diseases such as top borer, red rot and others have been observed in standing sugarcane crops in several areas. In light of this, timely advisories will be issued to control these pests and diseases in the upcoming season.
The meeting concluded with a focus on ensuring the availability of high-quality seeds, increasing spring planting, and taking proactive measures to control pests and diseases to achieve a successful sugarcane crushing season in 2024-25.
