Union Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that a special team will be formed within the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to address challenges related to sugarcane cultivation in the country. The minister was virtually addressing National Consultation on the Sustainable Sugarcane Economy in New Delhi today . He also highlighted that this team will formulate sugarcane policy and research directions after taking suggestions from farmers, scientists, and industry stakeholders. He further emphasized that the research will be focused on benefiting farmers and finding practical solutions for them.

The Minister highlighted that sugarcane variety 238 have shown good sugar content but it is vulnerable to red rot disease for which he emphasized the need to develop alternative varieties. During the discussion, Mr Chouhan pointed out that mono-cropping leads to several problems such as nutrient depletion and limitations in nitrogen fixation. He said, there is a need for careful evaluation for growing multiple crops instead of a single crop. Considering these challenges, Mr. Chauhan stressed on the need to focus on increasing production, promoting mechanization, reducing costs, and improving sugar recovery rates.