New cane variety developed jointly by TNAU and ICAR Sugarcane Breeding Institute in Coimbatore in high demand

The highest demand order of 160 tonnes of cane seeds has been placed by cooperative sugar mills across the State for the new high-yielding variety Co - 18009 (Punnagai) developed by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) through a tie-up with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, for planting during 2024.

Owing to the ethanol policy, the sugar mills are gradually coming out of red, and are able to settle pending dues to the farmers, banking on the most productive varieties of sugarcane. Of the nearly 375 tonnes of cane seeds sold so far, orders have also been placed for 140 tonnes of CO 14012 (Avani) variety, and 75 tonnes of CO 11015 (Atulya) by the cooperative sugar mills, official sources said.

The non-flowering ‘punnagai’ variety preferred by farmers ensures yield of up to 160 tonnes per hectare, according to TNAU Vice-Chancellor V. Geethalakshmi.

Remunerative prices of ethanol to suppliers have more than doubled in last six years, resulting in a major boost to farmers’ income. An eight-fold jump in procurement in last six years and the price of procurement going up by nearly 2.5 times have led to a significant increase in the income of farmers, say industry watchers.

Properties of drought-resistance, resilience to red-rot disease, high productivity of up to 160 tonnes per hectare, high ratooning ability, and non-flowering nature of the crop made the ‘punnagai’ variety a preferred choice for the cooperative sugar mills, said G. Hemaprabha, Director, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

In line with its energy security, climate change and rural economy enhancement goals, the Central Government has initiated multipronged reforms to boost ethanol usage in the country. Under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme, an indicative target of 20% blending of ethanol in petrol by 2030 was laid out.

Subsequently, the target year for achieving 20% ethanol blending in petrol was also advanced to 2025 by ‘The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs’ (CCEA) in 2020. The policy makers have pointed out the positive effects from these landmark reforms not only on the country’s economy, but also on the income of the farmers.

Ethanol procurement increased nearly eight times more to 322 crore litres during 2020-21 from 38 crore litres during 2013-14. Ethanol distillation capacities have almost doubled and number of distilleries increased by 40 per cent in five years. Also, the decision to allow diversion of ‘B’ heavy molasses, sugarcane juice, sugar and sugar syrup for ethanol production in 2018-19 enabled reliable supply of feedstock and the price stability of sugar, as per official records.

Given the projected increase in ethanol requirement to the extent of 1,016 crore litres in 2025-26, the cooperative as well as private sugar mills will be keen on increasing the area of sugarcane cultivation significantly with the ‘punnagai’ variety, the managements of the sugar mills strongly believe.