New sugarcane varieties such as COH 188, COH 176, and COH 179, developed by Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, would be at the forefront of sugarcane cultivation in the state in the future, said HAU Vice-Chancellor Prof BR Kamboj. He was speaking after Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with M/s Saraswati Sugar Mills Limited, Yamunanagar, at the HAU, Hisar.
The HAU varieties, COH 56 and COH 119 had been highly popular in their time, while COH 160 was well-known not only in Haryana but also in neighbouring states. These varieties had revolutionized sugarcane cultivation, he said.
The MoU was signed by Dr Atul Dhingra, Director of Human Resource Management, on behalf of the HAU, and DP Singh, Senior Vice-President, on behalf of the mill, in the presence of the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer of Sugar Mills, SK Sachdeva.
Kamboj mentioned that sugarcane was a very important cash crop in India and Haryana. It was cultivated over 5.17 million hectares in India with a production of 439.4 million tonnes and a productivity of 849 quintals per hectare. In Haryana, sugarcane was grown over 1.07 lakh hectares with a production of 88.82 lakh tonnes and a productivity of 819 quintals per hectare. He highlighted the crop’s significant role in the economy of farmers, the state, and the country by providing raw materials to the sugar industry. The importance of the crop and the sugar industry had increased in the emerging scenario as sugarcane would be the main crop for ethanol production used for blending with petrol. He said the university was striving to develop technology partnerships with sugar mills for rapid development, multiplication, and distribution of new sugarcane varieties to the farmers of Haryana. Mill testing was also a crucial parameter in introducing new sugarcane varieties for farmers, he added.
SK Sachdeva, CEO of Sugar Mills, mentioned that farmers were cultivating sugarcane, sugar mills were processing the crop, and the government was providing favourable policy support. There were 14 sugar mills in the state that processed sugarcane to produce sugar, ethanol, and electricity. M/s Saraswati Sugar Mills Limited was one of the largest sugar mills in the country with a high crushing capacity. The MoU would significantly promote partnership between research institutes and the sugar industry.
Dr Rajbir Garg, Regional Director of the Regional Research Centre, Karnal, provided detailed information about HAU’s contribution to sugarcane cultivation. On the occasion, media adviser Dr. Sandeep Arya, Dr Renu Munjal, and IPR Cell in-charge Dr Yogesh Jindal were present.
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