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Sugarcane News : Co 0238 is High Yielding Variety of Sugarcane

Sugarcane is an important cash crop of the country cultivated over about 5 million ha area including both sub-tropical and tropical regions. Co 0238 (Karan 4) is a high yielding and high sugar content variety, derived from the cross Co LK 8102 x Co 775. This variety was evolved at the Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Regional Centre, Karnal.

This variety has spread in the field at a much faster rate as it combines both high cane yield and better juice quality and hence is being preferred by both farmers and sugar industry.

During 2015-16, about 20.5% of the total cane area (21, 77,802 ha) in North India was covered by Co 0238 (4, 47,459 ha). Punjab had the maximum coverage (70% area) followed by Haryana (29%), UP (19.6%), Bihar (6%) and Uttarakhand (8.4%).

There was higher cane yield and sugar recovery (%) in 20 districts of UP due to increase in area under Co 0238 from 72,623 ha (3.1%) during 2013-14 to 1, 76,763 ha (8.3%) during 2014-15.

This resulted in additional cane production of 4.77 lakh tons. Due to this farmers of the UP state would have got an additional amount of 133.56 crores as cane price.

Hence per hectare profitability of farmers, who cultivated Co 0238, was higher by about 7500/-. Sugar mills in the state earned additional amount of 3.94 crores (1,575 x 25,000). During 2014-15, Co 0238 has resulted in an additional return of 137.5 crores to the farmers.

During 2015-16 season, one mill in Sitapur district of UP has recorded the highest sugar recovery (12.1%) on 21st December, 2015, which is the highest ever recorded in sub-tropical India.

Source: http://www.icar.org.in