An Efficient Interaction between the Farmer and Sugarcane Processing

Abstract

Sugarcane is one of the important food and commercial crops of Tanzania. Its production is concentrated mainly in three regions, Morogoro, Kagera and Kilimanjaro. Most of the sugar produced in the country is for home consumption and only a small proportion is exported to service foreign debts. Sugarcane is the main source of sugar in Asia and Europe. Sugarcane is grown primarily in the tropical and sub-tropical zones of the southern hemisphere. Sugarcane is the raw material for the production of white sugar, jaggery (gur) and khandsari. It is also used for chewing and extraction of juice for beverage purpose. [1] The sugarcane cultivation and sugar industry in India plays a vital role towards socio-economic development in the rural areas by mobilizing rural resources and generating higher income and employment opportunities. About 7.5 percent of the rural population, covering about 45 million sugarcane farmers, their dependents and a large number of agricultural labour are involved in sugarcane cultivation, harvesting and ancillary activities.  There are about nine States in India where sugarcane is grown on a large extent of area. There are a number of varieties that are grown in India depending on the suitability of the soil. The area, output and yield and sugarcane cultivation is subjected to fluctuate in response to policies of the government and also conditions of cultivation. Taking these into consideration, this chapter presents a detailed discussion on the cultivation practices of sugarcane, growth of area, output and yield.