MECHANIZATION OF SUGARCANE CULTIVATION-PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

摘要

Sugarcane is an important industrial crop of India grown in total area of about 5.09 million hectare producing nearly 357 million tonnes of cane with an average productivity of 70 tonnes/ha. Uttar Pradesh state is largest producer of sugarcane as it contributes 43.65% of the total area and 35.21% of the total production of sugarcane in the country. Mechanization of farm operations resulted in increased land labour efficiency by improving the safety and comfort of agricultural labour and increasing the overall income. In sugarcane agriculture, the mechanization is limited up to the land preparation, planting and to some extent to intercultural operations. The most laborious and tedious task of sugarcane agriculture is harvesting. Majority of the farmers uses traditional tools and equipment for sugarcane cultivation resulting into higher cost, labour, time and drudgery which ultimately reduces the net profit to the growers. This ariicle highlights the present status and strategies needed at this point of time and will help researcher and government planners to formulate long-term policies for mechanizing sugarcane cultivation in the country.