The Hindu Business Line : Bitter truths

This is with reference to “Cane truths” (Business Line, November 02). The article is apt and pertinent, more in the context of the existing anomalies and the rising sugar prices. The need of the hour is to emulate the practices of small growers of tea plantations who sell the produce to the factory owner. This concept has worked successfully in Kenya.

The Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA) that owns the largest number of tea factories in Kenya, needs to be a ‘paradigm’ for our sugarcane growers. A fair and remunerative price is fixed and reviewed by the KTDA for their small growers.

An advisory committee of KTDA periodically visits these small growers’ farms and advises them on the fertiliser programme and all other associated ‘field practices’. Even the ‘plucking’ policy and standard is predetermined to ensure that KTDA factories accept good quality of leaf across Kenya.

Cane growers can, thus, be given the necessary inputs advice by the mill owners, including cooperative-owned sugar mills.

Systematic replanting programme is a ‘dire’ need to resolve the erratic supply position in India. Irrigational facilities and water sources cannot be ignored since ‘sugarcane’ consumes lot of water.

One of the main reasons in the recent past for farmers to ‘migrate’ from growing cane to other crops was the water shortage and the lack of a remunerative price. Staggered payment of prices by mill owners to farmers can resolve problems to a large extent. Other hurdles of levy system also need to be addressed.

Ashok Jayaram Bangalore