Sugarcane

Conditions  of Growth	Tropical climate is ideal for sugarcane, with lots of moisture and rainfall. There needs to be enough water for close to six months for the crop to grow. Sugarcane does not tolerate frost, therefore this cannot grow in areas where the climate is frosty.
Regions	In the world, Brazil is the largest producer of Sugarcane and India falls second on the list
Additional Info	Prior to the 18th century, Sugar cane cultivation was seen only in India, and this has now spread to all over the world.
Production/ Trade	Since this is an important source of Sugar, a major part of the sugarcane produced is used for food purposes and the remaining is converted to Ethanol.

Sugarcane belongs to the family of simple grass and it can be classified as a tall grass plant. This has the privilege of being the plant that is cultivated the most in the entire world. In earlier days, the presence of sugarcane plants were the basis of civilizations and it was common to see that the civilizations started spreading in areas where the cane could grow. The Portuguese were the first to introduce this plant to India with their arrival into India during the 13th century. Now, sugarcane has spread to a wide range of areas and there are focused efforts being taken to produce quality sugarcane.

Sugarcane Production in India

Sugarcane is one of the major crops in India that is cultivated with the combined purposes of consumption as well as trade. India’s total production of Sugarcane is about 70 tons for every hectare and the sugar production is about 10% of this. There are researches and studies that are being conducted to ensure that there is more sugar that is extracted from our cane using scientific and more intense methods. In India, there are two major climatic zones where sugar cane is grown. One is the tropical region that includes states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat, while the other is the sub-tropical region of Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

Methods of Growing Sugarcane

The sugarcane crop is grown by stem cutting method, where one existent stem is cut and placed in the soil for it to grow and become a new plant. Point to be noted is that only stems with buds can be re-planted into new sugarcane plants. In many advanced countries, there are machines which can accumulate these stems and use the machinery to open and plant these stems. However, in the developing countries, hand planting is seen in common. In India, hand planting is common sight and the stems can be used for multiple cultivations. The point is that the quality tends to diminish with every harvest and therefore, it is ideal to use the same stems only for a limited number of harvests. Where hand planting is done, this can be used even up to ten harvests.

When the plants are tall and ready for harvest, the farmers set the field on fire. This will burn the leaves of the plant and also help to free the field from harmful insects and reptiles including snakes. This fire does not harm the sugarcane plant and leaves the canes intact. Once the fire dies down, the farmers then set out on the field to harvest the sugarcane by cutting the stem at the base very close to the ground. So, the remaining stem can go on to become a new sugar cane plant that can be harvested during the next season. This hand harvesting is the most common form of harvesting not only in India but all over the world.

Sugarcane Growing States in India and Best Season to Grow

Sugarcane is grown in the states of Uttar pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in large quantities, while Orissa, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab also produce the crop. Sugarcane plant is planted twice in a year as a spring crop and as an autumn crop. The cycles in the northern parts of India start in the months of February - March, while the southern parts start a month earlier and is done from January – February. Again the autumn planting happens in October – November in the South and September – October in the north. In general, the crop has an ideal 18 month growing period, but sometimes the autumn planting can be harvested in the span of a year as well.

Photo Gallery