AMRITSAR – Punjab is heading towards another sugar revolution with sugar production from sugar beet instead of conventional sugarcane.
Sugar produced from new source is expected to hit the market by mid of next year, informed Rana Inder Partap Singh, Managing Director Rana Sugars Limited , Buttar Seviyan, 48 kilometers from Amritsar. He informed that they had a target to plant 12000 acres of sugar beet in Punjab and the mill had already signed an agreement with Sesvanderhave, a sugar beet seed Company for the purchase of seed for three years.
And to encourage farmers and get them out of viscous circle of wheat -paddy, Director of mill Rana Veer Partap informed that they would be providing 100% subsidy on seed amounting Rs 3500 per acre and 50% subsidy on pesticides and insecticides. Giving technical details an expert in sugar beet cultivation Dr.Muzaffer Adiyaman from Turkey informed that minimum yield of this crop was 275 quintals which may also go higher.
“Plantation and harvesting of this crop would be done by specially designed machines” he said adding that 27% of sugar was produced from sugar beet in the world. He informed that Pakistan was already producing sugar from sugar beet since last 6-7 years. Director (Research),Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, Dr. SS Goyal informed that university has already done sufficient research on sugar beet and the climate of Punjab was suitable for this crop and was good replacement of wheat crop.
Suitable period for sowing the seeds was from mid October to mid December and the crop was harvested in the month of April and May, he added. Rana claimed that the crop would give more profits to farmers as compared to wheat crop.
He informed that leaves of sugar beet were useful as fodder which helped to increase the milk production. Pulp of Sugar beet would be used as cattle feed . But it is yet to be seen whether the new source of sugar will lessen any burden on common man by bringing down the price of sugar in market or not.
