Nagpur: Vidarbha, traditionally known as a cotton and orange belt, has for the first time cultivated sugarcane in large quantities and exported 25,000 tonnes of sugar, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Sunday.
“Farmers here have started growing sugarcane. In Nagpur district, growers have harvested 105 to 110 tonnes of sugarcane from one acre,” he said, informing the Director-General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Trilochan Mohapatra about the success of the crop shift implemented in the region.
He was speaking at a workshop on production of disease-free planting material through PPP mode organized by Central Citrus Research Institute (CCRI) at National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSSLUP) auditorium. Maharashtra has set a record of 138 lakh tonne sugar production for 2021-22 season.
Gadkari said Vasantdada Sugar Institute carried out research on sugarcane to help farmers. “The institute provided nearly 200-250 sugar factories with the basic plant material. The mills multiplied it on their own before passing it on to the farmers. Using tissue culture, we are regularly supplying the sugarcane plants to farmers. Demand for the sugarcane plants is growing, but mills have limitations. Hence, we have identified successful farmers who run good nurseries,” he said.
“Without compromising on quality, Central Citrus Research Institute (CCRI) can go for a joint venture sharing its basic research like this. Planting material from Warud and Morshi nurseries couldn’t succeed because of poor quality,” he said. The two tehsils are known for oranges. CCRI had been getting a demand of over 2 crore citrus plants from across the country. It has substantially fallen short of the demand.
The Union Minister called on CCRI to cooperate in producing planting material which is on par with global standards. He said the institute too has its limitations, but it can tie-up with local farmers. “Rate the nurseries, register them, certify them, and control them,” he said.
Gadkari added, there is a need to seriously think about the productivity and quality of our oranges. “In Spain and America, one hectare yields 30 tonne oranges while in India it is just 10 to 12 tonne. How to increase productivity is our first agenda. Anytime you visit Delhi and Mumbai to attend marriage ceremonies in well-to-do families, fruits you get are all imported. This is because our quality needs improvement, but that is not happening. In Nashik, Sahyadri farms export grapes worth Rs 1,500 crore because they have developed quality plant species and products,” he said.
Gadkari also spoke on clean fuel which he has been promoting for some time. “I am introducing bioethanol. From next month, (all vehicles of) BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, Suzuki, Hyundai and scooters of Bajaj, TVS, Hero etc will run on 100% bioethanol,” he said.
