The Indian sugarcane industry will be embarking on a new journey towards agricultural innovation through the collaborative efforts between the Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) and the ICAR-Indian Sugarcane Research Institute (ICAR-ISRI). The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is a significant move towards addressing what seems to be one of the most fundamental issues in growing sugarcane. This is because of the impact of the quality of planting material on the process of germination and plant development.
Though sugarcane is grown using stem cuttings or ‘setts’, the quality of planting material directly influences how successfully a sugarcane crop will grow and produce. Poor quality and diseased planting materials will cause low rates of germination and uneven plant growth. Therefore, this partnership aims at establishing better ways of ensuring quality sugarcane seed production and supply to farmers.
The partnership will combine the research capacity of ICAR-ISRI with the industrial reach of ISMA. The sugarcane research and technology organization can provide better varieties, scientific processes, and techniques for seed production. The sugar and bio-energy industry organization, on the other hand, can assist in making sure that the results of the research reach wider use, and that the research considers the needs of sugar mills and cultivators.
The key element in this partnership will be quality seed production. The scientific process of multiplying seeds can ensure the purity of the varieties as well as their health and vigor. This is especially vital since sugarcane cultivation is faced with threats from insects, diseases, changing climate conditions and the necessity to increase yields from limited agricultural resources.
The program also has ramifications outside of the sugar business sector. Sugar cane is becoming increasingly significant in India’s larger ecosystem of bio energy, with applications in bio energy commodities like ethanol, among others. As such, improved cane productivity has the potential to enhance the raw material resources for both sectors. In this regard, improved seed can act as a platform on which a more efficient and sustainable sugar cane value chain can be built.
For the farmers, the success of this initiative can result in improved crop establishment, productivity, and lower risk of poor-quality planting materials. To achieve these ends, however, multiplication, certification or quality assurance, efficient distribution and farmers’ awareness will be necessary. The technology needs to get into the hands of the farmers as an affordable and accessible product.
This MOU is part of a larger trend in Indian agriculture towards collaboration between public research institutions and private enterprises. The research institutions may develop innovations, but their utility lies in being translated into practices from the research fields to the commercial fields. Such collaborations would play an important role in helping to make this translation by blending science, industry and field-level needs.
With India working on increasing sugarcane productivity and bio-energy targets, the quality of the raw material will gain importance. It is clear from the above MOU that such a quality base would be the foundation of this partnership.
Higher quality seeds would result in higher cane quality and productivity, and hence help the bio-energy dream. Hence, this MOU may prove to be much more than a simple collaboration of institutions; it may be a milestone on the road to healthy sugarcane production in India.
Team Yuva Aaveg-
Adarsh Tiwari
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