Program to increase sugarcane production

Suraj A Bandara

The Minor Export Crop Promotion Ministry has launched a multi-staged sugarcane crop improvement program to increase the production up to 35 percent against the present production of five percent.

Minor Export Crop Promotion Minister Reginold Cooray addressing the media at Colombo said that this program will be introduced in an interdisciplinary way since the sugarcane industry in the country has been badly neglected. "The greatest damage done to the sugar industry was the neglegence of the the sugar industry by handing it over to the private sector. In the past, Sri Lanka boasted of being one of the biggest sugarcane produce in the region," Cooray said.

"Sri Lanka's annual sugar requirement is estimated at around 550,000 tonnes whereas only 55,000 tonnes is produced in the country annually. Rs 15 billion is spent to import sugar to the country to meet the domestic requirement. This outflowing of money will double in the coming years unless we develop the sugarcane industry in the country," he said.

"Sugar is not derived out of sugar cane alone. They can be used to extract juice for drinking. Molasses is made from extracts of sugarcane. The alcoholic component Ethanol is made from sugarcane. Production of treacle and jaggery had once been a lucrative source of income for many farmers." "The Minister further said apart from the above products the fibrous residues of sugarcane can be burnt for fuel or use for making fibre boards. They can be converted to compost too," he said.

"Commercial sugarcane fields are currently confined to the Sevanagala and Pelwatta sugar industries and an extent of 150 hectare acres around the Jaggery mills in Badulla distrcit. The Kantale and Hingurana sugar factories have been non functional for many years due to constant losses incurred," he said.

The Minister said a Cabinet Paper has been passed to set up a statutory body or responsible authority to handle the overall sugar production in the country. That will be vested with the power to protect the sugarcane industry.

"As a first step, small scale sugar factories will be set up in certain identified areas. The farmers who were frustrated cultivating sugarcane due to low payments and irregularities will again be requested to take up to sugarcane cultivation at a promise of offering more benefits," the Minister said.