# Sugarcane: Crop of the Future

Ajeet Kumar, C.K. Jha, S.K. Sinha

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Ajeet Kumar, C.K. Jha, S.K. Sinha. Sugarcane: Crop of the Future. 2021, pp.61-63. hal-04934993

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Submitted on 7 Feb 2025

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# Sugarcane: Crop of the Future

Article ID: 11020

Ajeet Kumar<fnref n="1" />, C. K. Jha<fnref n="1" />, S. K. Sinha<fnref n="1" />

## Abstract

The sugarcane is the cash crop for farmers but it could also the life line of industrial growth of the Bihar State. Notwithstanding sugar being its main product in demand, its by-products like alcohol and ethanol are as important and more in demand. Even the waste of the sugarcane like bagasse can be used to make card boards and coarse paper.

Moreover, sugar factories could be used to generate much needed electricity at the fraction of the cost. The last decade has seen a surging demand for biofuels in the wake of increasing oil prices and rising environmental concerns. The most common biofuel is bio-ethanol accounting for more than 90% of total biofuel usage. It is increasingly produced from sugar cane making cane a strategic crop for biofuels.

The growing demand for "green" fuels, bio-ethanol production has been supported by energy policies in the past decade, which have consequently been accused of contributing to the global trend of rising food prices and thus jeopardising food security. The authors conclude that cane used as a feedstock to meet the rising energy demand will come at the expense of converting fertile land for non-food purposes. Therefore, we can easily conclude that sugarcane industry is vital for the industrial development of Bihar.

## Introduction

Sugar cane is a perennial grass which grows in tropical and sub-tropical areas (Sielhorst et al 2008). In total 22 million ha of sugar cane are harvested each year, the majority of which is in South America, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The biggest sugar cane producers are Brazil with 31% of the total area of sugar cane planted, India with 22%, China with 5%, Thailand with 5% and Pakistan with 5% (Zuurbier, 2008). It is considered one of the most promising converters of solar energy to Biomass and sugar.

Sugar, Gur and Khandsari are the major products prepared out of sugarcane, where one third of the total sugarcane produced goes to sugar factories, the latter two entities consume two out of three fractions. It also provides raw material for manufacturing fuel and chemicals and the green top of the plant is used to feed animals. This crop is useful even after crushing, as Bagasse, the crushed cane residue is used as a fuel for electricity generator and is a very beneficial alternative for wood in paper making process. It is also used as dry fodder.

Molasses, one more by-product of sugarcane is the main raw material for Alcohol based industries. Among the commercial crops, sugarcane has the largest value of production. Other alcohols derived from sugarcane have an even wider range of uses by the chemical industry to make bio-plastics, detergents and more. It is one of the most versatile crops which makes it first choice for farmers, wherever climatic conditions favour its growth.

## Ideal Requirement for Growth of Sugarcane Crop

**Temperature:** Sugarcane is a long duration crop. Depending upon the variety, geographical conditions and sowing time it takes 10 to 15 and even 18 months to mature. It is planted in different times of the year in different parts of the country. In some states it is sown just once while there are states (Karnataka and Maharashtra) where its sown thrice a year, whereas in Northern states of India its sown twice a year, once around the Feb to March and then for Autumn plating season in October and November. Sugarcane requires an average temperature of 21°C - 27° C for refined cultivation along with a healthy rainfall of 75 cm - 150 cm. Hot and humid climate are favourable conditions. High humidity helps in more cane elongation. Too much rainfall or too less rainfall, both are disastrous for growth of sugarcane. As heavy downpour could lead to low sugar content whereas inadequate rainfall results in fibrous crop. In areas receiving lesser rainfall than the prescribed limit, irrigation of the crop shows better results. For the

<footnote n="1">¹Assistant Professor-cum- Scientist; Department of Soil Science, Sugarcane Research Institute, DRPCAU, Pusa (Samastipur)-848125, Bihar, India.</footnote>
sugarcane to be of right thickness and to be able to extract sufficient and thick juice from the cane, open sky with a temperature above 20°C is preferred. Short cool dry winter season during ripening and harvesting is ideal. Frost is detrimental to sugarcane crop. Therefore, if the crop is grown in northern parts of the country where winters can drop to minus degrees, it must be harvested before the onset of probable frost seasons. Sustainable sugarcane production contributes to ensuring that growers and cutters have the decent income with minimised detriment to the environment. With so many potentials use from food, to fuel, to paper, and even plastics, every life from cutter to consumer is increasingly touched by sugarcane.

**Soil:** In fact, sugarcane grows on any kind of moisture retaining soil but deep rich loamy soils are ideal for its growth. The soil should be rich in nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus but at the same time, it should have pH ranging from 5.0 to 8.0, it should not be either too acidic or too alkaline. As this is a long duration crop and remains in the field for 12 to 18 months, it requires very fertile soil and due to this its cultivation requires heavy dose of manures and fertilizers. To facilitate easy irrigation and transportation of cane to the sugar mills, a plain and levelled plateau is advantageous. Since sugarcane cultivation is highly labour intensive, hence, ample human hands at every stage, from sowing, hoeing, weeding, irrigating, and cutting to carrying sugarcane to the factories are necessary.

**Distribution:** Based on the growth conditions of sugarcane, the three different belts of cultivation is as follows: First, The Satluj-Ganga plain, expanding from Punjab (West) to Bihar (East). It contains 51% of the total area under sugarcane cultivation. In addition, this belt produces 60% of the country's total sugarcane. Second, The Black Soil Belt that runs along the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, and located in the southern part of this South-East Asian country containing the area in between Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Third, the Coastal Andhra and the Krishna Valley region, which is situated towards the Bay of Bengal.

**Food:** Sugarcane is mostly used as an ingredient in foods and drinks. 85% of the sugars consumed are hidden in daily products like jelly, cookies, bread and soft drinks. We savour its sweetness when we celebrate a treat. India, followed by the EU and China are the world's largest sugar consumers in total volume. The Dutch consumer uses 38 kilograms of sugar per year. Argentinians consume 45 kilograms and people in Thailand consume 30 kilograms annually. Interestingly, despite being one of the largest overall consumers due to population size, the Chinese person only consumes 8 kilograms per year. In the EU, demand for cane sugar has grown and now stands at 4 million tonnes per year. While this growth is in line with the growing worldwide sugar consumption, an EU policy likely to change in the coming years has also helped boost this demand for cane sugar.

**Paper:** The versatility of sugarcane is striking in unexpected places, like paper. Paper demand has risen an astounding 400% over the past 40 years, but only 1% in the past the few years. This large increase resulted in deforestation and other drawbacks like water pollution, landfill waste, and high energy costs. More recently, there is an increased demand for sustainably sourced paper from plantation forests and recycling methods. While measures have made significant sustainability strides, the paper of the future may be made from sugarcane, because it makes use of the entire sugarcane plant, and is derived as a by-product, when juice is extracted from the stalks. Sugarcane paper is also biodegradable & grows quickly.

**Biofuels:** Ethanol made of sugarcane can be used to replace gasoline, thereby reducing CO2 emissions by 90%. Sugarcane ethanol is a competitive option to replace gasoline as it is the most environmentally friendly alternative for oil to date. Governments around the world, including the European Union and the United States, stimulate the use of biofuels as a way to diversify their energy sources and to reduce CO2 emissions. Brazil leads the way in sugarcane ethanol. Almost all cars sold in Brazil today have flex fuel engines, allowing their owners to switch from gasoline to ethanol depending on their price. Following are the benefits: reduced import of fossil fuels and the creation of employment for their citizens. The future for ethanol-based fuels is looking bright as technological advances are made. Special airplane engines have also been developed to make use of sugarcane ethanol, with the first commercial flights already have taken to the skies.

## Conclusion

Sugarcane is mainly an industrial crop as the cane is supplied to sugar industries, where various products, from its juice are prepared by using a series of industry. Green tops of cane are a good source of fodder for
cattle. Its remains are good manure in alkaline and saline soils. Sugarcane would become a raw material for producing sugar, alcohol, ethanol, electricity and paper products. New machineries and added values would make the industry efficient and productive, and it would also solve the plight of sugarcane farmers and enhances their own livelihood.

References

1. Sielhorst S, Molenaar JW, Offermans D.(2008) Biofuels in Africa, an assessment of risks and benefits for African wetlands. Commissioned by wetlands international, Wageningen, the Netherlands (www.wetlands.org).

2. Zuurbier P, and van de Vooren J. (2008) Sugarcane ethanol contributions to climate change mitigation and the environment, Netherlands, Wageningen Academic Publishers; 2008.