Sustainable Sugar production and E-20 Blending Program in India- a Challenge
Seema Paroha, D. Swain and Ananthalakshmi Ranganathan*
National Sugar Institute, Kanpur - 208017 [India] *Mail Id: ananthuknocks@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Sustainability in the sugar sector means achieving production sustainability, economic sustainability and environmental sustainability. India being the highest with 18% of the world population, has a challenge in all the sustainable areas. Challenge in production sustainability- India is the largest sugar consumer. Challenge in economic sustainability- sugar is considered as an essential commodity in India and so Govt. decides both the sugar MSP as well as the sugarcane FRP. Challenge in environmental sustainability- due to the strict control by the controlling agencies like CPCB, SPCB, MoE & F, CGWA etc. But sustainability is essential for the benefit of all the 5 stakeholders- the farmers, the millers, the consumers, the Govt. and the environment. Maintaining sustainability is therefore a great challenge under such adverse conditions. To cater the domestic demand of sugar being the no. 1 consumer in the world and to sustain blending of ethanol with petrol, India’s need of sustainable sugarcane production is also a challenge under the conditions of: Less agricultural land with the world’s highest population, Govt. of India policy of More Crop Per Drop [MCPD], more than half of sugarcane area is falling under subtropical zone, the effect of Al-Nino is almost cyclic in 2/3 years and varietal effect in sub-tropical India.