Using the SRI Methodology for Other Crops

Following the success of SRI and SWI, similar methodologies were applied to different crops, resulting in the considerable increase in the yield of each.

S ugar-cane cultivation and the sugar industry are facing multiple problems despite sugar cane being an important crop in India. There are 35 million farmers growing sugar cane and 50 million more depending on employment generated by the 571 sugar factories and other related industries that use sugar. But despite India’s long history of sugar cultivation and the large area under sugar-cane cultivation, in terms of productivity, sugar cane yields have been unimpressive. During the last 10 years, sugar-cane production in India has been fluctuating between 233 million tonnes and 355 million tonnes. India has the second-largest area under sugar-cane cultivation in the world next to Brazil but the low yields and fluctuations in production are a cause for concern.

The average productivity of sugar cane is low, with certain regions reporting yields as low as 40 t/ha only. Not only is the cane yield low, the sugar yield—typically at less than 10 per cent of the weight of the cane—is also less than satisfactory, given that yields of 14 per cent of cane weight at the time of cutting (and sometimes much higher) are possible.

Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI) is a method of sugar-cane production that involves the use of less seeds, less water and optimum utilization of fertilizers and land, to achieve more yields. Driven by farmers, the SSI is an alternative to conventional seed, water and space-intensive sugar-cane cultivation.