Cultivators of Khulna division are witnessing bumper production of sugarcane this year due to favourable weather and availability of agri-inputs.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said, a total of 1,028 hectares of land have been brought under sugarcane cultivation and the production was 50,947 metric tonnes in the last fiscal year 2022-23.
In the last fiscal year 2022-23, the production of sugarcane was 3,060 metric tonnes from 68 hectares of land in Khulna, 10,847 metric tonnes from 285 hectares of land in Bagerhat, 4,560 metric tonnes from 95 hectares of land in Satkhira, and 32,480 metric tonnes from 580 hectares of land in Narail respectively.
During the current fiscal year 2023-24, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has set a sugarcane plantation target of 1,168 hectares whereas the production target is 60,172 tonnes in Khulna region, DAE source said.
Additional Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Mohon Khumar Ghosh said, "Due to favourable weather, we got bumper production in the last fiscal year. The cultivators got better profit as a result they are encouraged to sugarcane cultivation."
Besides, smooth supply of electricity and adequate irrigation had led to bumper production. Apart from this, DAE provided all kinds of support to the cultivators, he added.
Sugarcane production and acreages in Bangladesh have more than halved in the last two decades as farmers find it difficult to generate a steady stream of profit from the crop, official figures showed.
The production stood at 67.42 lakh tonnes in the fiscal year of 2000-01, but it fell to 33.33 lakh tonnes in 2020-21, according to the Bangladesh Economic Review 2022.
Sugarcane cultivation is also more profitable than other crops since crops such as oil seeds, spices and lentils, and vegetables can be cultivated alongside it as associated crops, officials say, adding that the cultivation of associated crops can help offset losses partially if sugarcane is damaged by any natural disasters.
Sugarcane belongs to the grass family. Sugarcane has been grown in the West Indies and America since the early eighteenth century. Wet and dry areas are suitable for sugarcane cultivation. There are two types of sugarcane. There is a type of sugarcane from which sugar is produced and another type of sugarcane where the tough upper part is discarded and the juicy fiber inside is chewed. Two types of sugarcane are produced in Bangladesh.
On a positive note sugarcane production is increasing. There are sugar mills in all the areas where sugarcane is produced.
Although there is a high demand worldwide for three types of sugarcane for commercial sugar production, more sugarcane of S. officinarum species is produced.
The Coimbatore variety of sugarcane is more common in Bangladesh. Sugar content depends on the yield and type of sugarcane harvested at the right age.
