Maarg Manthan · Topic 11.22

Sugarcane: Growing Conditions and Production Pattern

Geography › Agriculture and Crop Geography · Topic 11.22

Sugarcane is a tall tropical grass grown for sugar, jaggery, ethanol and other products. It needs a hot, humid climate of 21 to 27 °C, 75 to 150 cm of rain or irrigation, a long frost-free growing season of 10 to 18 months, and fertile loamy or black soil. It is grown from stem cuttings (setts) and gives ratoon crops. Brazil and India are the two leading producers, followed by China, Thailand and Pakistan. In India, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka are the main states, and the sugarcane price is set by the government as the fair and remunerative price.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Agriculture and Crop Geography

At a Glance

Climate Hot and humid; 21 to 27 °C
Rainfall 75 to 150 cm or irrigation
Top producers Brazil and India
Indian states Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka
By-products Bagasse, molasses, ethanol
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Agriculture and Crop Geography

Where Does It Fit?

This topic closes the macro on agriculture and crop geography with the main sugar crop. Sugarcane links farming with industry and with fuel through ethanol, and its patterns in India show the contrast between the tropical south and the subtropical north. Previous topic: Natural Rubber: Sources, Southeast Asian Plantations, Production Pattern, International Trade. Next topic: gypsum, salt Energy Coal, petroleum, uranium Law MMDR Act, 1957 Key idea…">Types of Mineral Resources: Metallic and Non-Metallic.

What Are the Growing Conditions of Sugarcane?

Factor	Requirement
Temperature	21 to 27 °C; hot and humid during growth; cool, dry weather at ripening to raise sugar content; frost is harmful
Rainfall	75 to 150 cm; irrigation is essential in drier areas; waterlogging is harmful
Soil	Deep, fertile, well-drained loam; regur) Acidic leached soil Laterite Desert soil Arid soil, sandy Classification…">black soil in the Deccan and alluvium in the north, with heavy use of manure
Growing period	10 to 18 months: a long season, so it occupies the land for most of the year
Labour	Needs many hands for planting, weeding and cutting; harvesting by machine is rare in India
Transport	The cane has to reach the mill within 24 to 48 hours after cutting, or sugar content falls

How Is Sugarcane Cultivated?

Planting: setts, cuttings of the stem with two or three buds, are planted in furrows. Plant crops are sown in spring (February to March), autumn (October) or in the Deccan in other months, depending on local rain.
Ratoon: after the first harvest, the stubble sprouts again and gives a second or third crop (ratoon) at a lower cost, though yields fall.
Tropical and subtropical India: in the tropical south, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, the crop has a longer season and higher yields (over 80 tonnes per hectare) and sugar recovery of about 10 to 12 per cent, with irrigation by canals and wells. In the subtropical north, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Bihar, winters cut the growth, yields are lower and recovery is about 9 to 10 per cent.
Varieties: Co (Coimbatore) varieties from the Sugarcane Breeding Institute at Coimbatore, such as Co 0238, which spread widely in Uttar Pradesh.
Origin: sugarcane was domesticated in New Guinea and spread to India, where sugar was first made; the word sugar is from the Sanskrit sharkara.

What Is the Production Pattern and What Are the Policy Issues?

World: about 1.9 billion tonnes of cane a year. Brazil is the largest producer, followed by India, China, Thailand and Pakistan. Brazil uses a large part of its cane for ethanol, while India makes more sugar.
India: cane production of about 430 to 490 million tonnes in recent years, from about 5 million hectares. Uttar Pradesh is first (about 40 per cent), followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka. India and Brazil trade places as the top producer of sugar, and India is also the largest consumer.
Mills: sugar mills, many of them cooperatives in Maharashtra and Gujarat, are located in the cane areas, as cane cannot be moved far. The industry is the second largest agro-based industry after cotton textiles in India.
Price: the Centre fixes a fair and remunerative price (FRP) for cane that mills must pay, on the advice of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, and some states announce a higher state advised price, as in Agricultural Labour and Price Policy.
By-products: bagasse is burnt for power (cogeneration) and used in paper, molasses is used to make alcohol and ethanol, and press mud is used as manure.
Ethanol: India’s programme of blending ethanol into petrol, with a target of 20 per cent that was achieved around 2025, uses cane juice, molasses and grain, and has increased the demand for cane. The latest data on blending should be checked.
Issues: heavy water use (cane takes a large share of irrigation water in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh), delays in payment to farmers by mills, surplus sugar stocks, export curbs, and a demand for price support.

As an analytical point, the sugar economy ties together farmers, mills, state governments and energy policy, and changes in cropping pattern to reduce water use are a key issue in Water Resources: Utilization, Water Contamination, Conservation Methods. The figures are approximate and are updated every year.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Regions Tropical versus subtropical India
Policy FRP and ethanol
Water High water use

What Came Next?

The next macro covers mineral and energy resources, beginning with the types of mineral resources. Next topic: Types of Mineral Resources: Metallic and Non-Metallic.

Key People and Terms

Ratoon Regrowth crop from stubble
Sett Stem cutting for planting
Recovery Sugar extracted per hundred of cane
FRP Fair and remunerative price
Bagasse Cane fibre left after crushing
Molasses Syrup left after sugar extraction

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Cane needs 10 to 18 months to grow.
Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer.
Tropical south has higher recovery than the north.
Brazil and India lead the world.
Cane must reach the mill within 24 to 48 hours.

Do Not Confuse With

Plant crop and ratoon crop Newly sown versus regrowth from stubble
FRP and MSP Cane price versus support price for other crops
Bagasse and molasses Fibre versus syrup by-product

Memory Hook

Hot, wet, long to grow; mills near, cane must flow; ratoon again, FRP and ethanol too.

Mains Angle

Questions ask for the sugarcane economy and its water and fuel links. These points add depth.

Region North versus south
Policy FRP and ethanol
Water Cropping pattern

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Compare sugarcane cultivation in the tropical and subtropical regions of India and discuss the problems of the sugar industry.”

How to Answer

Conditions Climate and soil.
Regions Tropical versus subtropical.
Industry Mills, FRP, by-products.
Issues Water, payments, ethanol.

GS Relevance

Prelims: sugarcane conditions, leading states and countries, FRP, ethanol link. GS Paper 1 and 3: crop geography, agro-industry and energy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the climatic requirements of sugarcane?

Sugarcane needs a hot, humid climate with temperatures of 21 to 27 degrees Celsius, 75 to 150 centimetres of rainfall or irrigation, and a long, frost-free growing season of 10 to 18 months. It grows well in fertile, deep, well-drained loamy or black soils, and needs cooler, dry weather at ripening.

Which are the major sugarcane-producing states of India?

Uttar Pradesh is the largest sugarcane-producing state of India, followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka. Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh also grow it. Maharashtra and Karnataka in the tropical south have higher sugar recovery than Uttar Pradesh in the subtropical north.

Which countries are the largest producers of sugarcane?

Brazil is the largest producer of sugarcane, followed by India, China, Thailand and Pakistan. Brazil uses a large part of its cane to produce ethanol, while India produces more sugar and is also its largest consumer. India and Brazil are the leading producers of sugar.

What is the fair and remunerative price of sugarcane?

The fair and remunerative price is the minimum price that sugar mills must pay to farmers for sugarcane. It is fixed by the Central Government on the recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, and some states announce a higher state advised price.

What are the by-products of sugarcane?

The main by-products are bagasse, the fibre left after crushing, which is burnt for power generation and used in paper making; molasses, the syrup left after extracting sugar, used to produce alcohol and ethanol; and press mud, used as manure. Ethanol blending in petrol has increased the demand for sugarcane.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer of sugarcane in India.

True

Followed by Maharashtra.

2 Sugarcane is a short-duration crop of three to four months.

False

It takes 10 to 18 months.

3 Sugar recovery is generally higher in tropical India than in the north.