1. “More with Less”
The Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI)
in India and Beyond:
Experience & Future Directions
Dr. Biksham Gujja
bg@agsri.com
www.agsri.com
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Cornell University, 8th February 2013

2. „Modern‟ agriculture is based on
one thing -- More ..
Farmers need to give more (inputs, water,
seeds, etc.) to get more (production).
After 5 decades or so of this strategy:
Giving more has become so much more that
farmers, Governments and ecosystems
are not able to give any more .. There is
now a crisis in agriculture -- a ‘more crisis’.
It is NOT about feeding 9 billion people,
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but about feeding the same old research,
same thinking, and same results

3. Answer to „More crisis‟ is more
technology, control, more money..
• Bio technolokgy
• GMs
• High-tech irrigation
• Industrial agriculture
• Future: focus on even more complicated
even more expensive solutions?
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• Conversely: Is More with Less possible??

4. www.agsri.com

5. „More with less‟ is major challenge
• First, it is a conceptual challenge, negating
assumptions on which our agriculture
research and funding are based on so far
• It is a management challenge: What will
(we) experts do if solutions are simple?
• It is resource allocation challenge: now
large investments in fertilisers, pesticides,
companies, dams.
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6. SSI/ SRI … Back to basics..
• It is about raising the productivity of land,
labour, water, recognizing that there are
limits, costs and trade-offs.
• It is not just about how much you produce:
How do you produce? With what? For
what? For how long?
– It is about choices for farmers, consumers
– It is about reducing our footprint on the
environment – use less water, create less
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pollution, fewer negative impacts.
– It is about quality of life..

7. Sugarcane: India‟s position..
India Global
• Area (m ha): 4.94 (21 %) 23.82
• Cane production (m t): 339.17 (20 %) 1685.44
• Cane productivity (t/ha): 68.60 (97 %) 70.77
• Sugar production (m t): 24.39 (18 %) 135.00**
• Consumption (m t): 26.73* (20.5%) 130.00**
* Gur & Khandsari included ** Beet sugar excluded
Second largest producer in world
Largest consumer!! ... and increasing
Process of liberalisation is going on …
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8. Comparison of Area, Production
and Productivity
10,000 90
9,077
9,000 80
77.67
8,000 79.04 70.10
70
7,000 65.75
Area (000' Ha)
59.98 60
Yield (t/ha)
6,000
50
5,000 4,170
40
4,000
30
3,000
1,695 20
2,000
1,000 405 267 10
0 0
Brazil India China Australia South Africa
Area Harvested (000' Ha) Yield (t/ha)
800 90
717
700 77.67 80
79.04 70.10
600 70
Production (MT)
65.75
59.98 60
Yield (t/ha)
500
50
400
292 40
300
30
200
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111 20
100 31 10
16
0 0
Brazil India China Australia South Africa
Production (MT) Yield (t/ha)

9. World's major sugar consumers
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Source::Coop Sugar. Vol 42(4), Dec-2010

10. Distribution of Sugar Mills in India
N
No. of
Sl. No. State
Sugar Mills
1 Maharashtra 201
2 Uttar Pradesh 156
3 Karnataka 63
4 Tamil Nadu 44
5 Andhra Pradesh 43
6 Bihar 27
7 Punjab 24
8 Gujarat 23
9 Madhya Pradesh 18
10 Haryana 16
11 Uttarakhand 10
12 Orissa 8
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Source: Department of Food & Public Distribution
www. dfpd.nic.in/fcamin/sites/.../Profile%20of%20sugar%20mills.xls

11. Trends in Area and Productivity of
Sugarcane in India
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Source: Sugarcane Breeding Institute, India

12. Trends: Sugar Recovery Rate in India
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Source: Sugarcane Breeding Institute, India

13. Trends: India's Export and Import of Sugar
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Source: Sugarcane Breeding Institute, India

14. Per capita Consumption of
Sugar and Gur & Khandsari in India
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Source: Sugarcane Breeding Institute, India

15. Distribution of Sugar Mills
(Co-operative & Pvt.)
N
Maharashtra
Total Sugarcane Area: 0.96 Million Ha
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Total Sugar Factories Operated: 170
Sugarcane Growing Districts: 26
Source: Aug 2012, Commissionerate of Sugar, Maharashtra State, Pune

16. Sugarcane Production: Issues
• Water, water & water • High input costs
• Climatic change • Absence of
• Water-logging & interculture
drought • Diseases and pests
• Low cane yields • Neglected ratoons
• Low rates of sugar • Soil degradation
recovery from cane • Lack of micronutrients
• Old varieties in use and application of
inputs
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Most of the sugarcane cultivation area is irrigated!

17. Crop water use
3,000- 5,000
1kg =
litres water
3,000 – 5,000
1kg = litres water
1,500 - 3,000
1kg =
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litres water
So, we eat, wear and drink .. water…

18. Water Availability: 1975
Water Availability: 2025
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Extreme Scarcity Scarcity Stress Adequate Abundant Surplus Ocean/ No Data
<500 500-1,000 1,000-1,700 1,700-4,000 4,000-10,000 >10,000 Inland Water
m3/person/year

19. SSI: What is it?
• Less seed, fertiliser and water
• Farm-based method using
targeted inputs
• Encouragement of inter-crops
• Improves productivity of
land, water and labor -- all at
the same time
• Climate-, ecosystem- and
socially-friendly
• Opens up new business
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opportunities

20. The SSI Process: Version 1.0
Removing leaves from healthy canes Cutting buds from canes
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Cutting buds from canes Bud treatment

21. The SSI Process: Version 1.0
Filling buds in gunny bag for pre-sprouting Covering of buds filled in gunny bags for
pre-sprouting by cane trash
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Covering of buds filled in gunny bags for Pre-sprouted buds (3 days)
pre-sprouting by plastic sheet

22. The SSI Process: Version 1.0
Partly filling of coco-pith in the tray Placing the pre-sprouted buds in the
tray and covering the buds completely
with coco-pith
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Stacking: placing trays one above the other Stacking (for 5-8 days)

23. The SSI Process: Version 1.0
Stacking opened after 5 days) Watering (20-25 days)
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Well-maintained nursery Grading

24. The SSI Process: Version 1.0
Transplanting of 25-35 day-old Seedlings
Seedlings ready for transplanting Safe transportation to field
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25. Sugarcane: Seed cane planting
• Requires12-15% of annual production
• Bulky, cumbersome and costly
• Labour-intensive, ineffective
• Constrains promotion of new varieties
• Seed treatment is impossible
• Not possible to fix plant population
Result of cane planting:
• Poor tillering
• Poor yields
• More input costs
• Pest attacks
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AgSri is a sugarcane seed company - opens whole new business!

26. SSI: Experience so far..1
• Farmers buy in
• One-month-old seedlings are
best
• Labour is saved
• Water is saved in 1st month
• Uniform tillering
• Yield increase
• Better sugar formation
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Most difficult part of the work
has been done…

27. SSI: Experience so far..2
• Seedling cost is higher than seed
cane, but planting costs less
• Training required
• Demand exists; willingness to pay
is developing
• Mills like it and are willing to
promote
• Needs considerable process
improvement
Scaling up, reaching out improving quality…
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28. Case Study 1
• Name of farmer: Bastapure Sagar Narsingh
• Place: Sakhra, Latur, Maharashtra
• Experience in sugarcane farming: 20 years
• Experience on SSI: 1 year
• Total agricultural land: 13 acres
• SSI area: 4 acres
• Variety: Co- 86032
• No. of seedlings planted: 20,000
• Spacing: 5 x 2 ft
• Date of transplantation: 06-Nov-2011
• Avg. no. of millable canes: 13
• Avg. length & girth of canes: 9 feet / 2.6 cm
• Date of crop harvested: 17-Nov-2012
• Avg. yield: 57 t / acre
• Rate for cane sold: Rs. 2500 per ton
• Total income: Rs. 142,500
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• Cost of cultivation: Rs. 47,000
• Net income: Rs. 95,500
• Cane sold: To factory

29. Case Study 2
• Name of farmer: Rajkumar Jadhav
• Place: Dhanori, Nilangna, Maharashtra
• Experience in sugarcane farming: 5 years
• Experience on SSI: 1 year
• Total agricultural land: 15 acres
• SSI area: 6 acres
• Variety: Co- 671
• No. of seedlings planted: 33,000
• Spacing: 6 x 1.5 ft
• Date of transplantation: 14-Jan-2012
• Avg. no. of millable canes: 8
• Avg. length & girth of canes: 8 feet / 2.7 cm
• Date of crop harvested: 25-Dec-2012
• Avg. yield: 50 t / acre
• Rate for cane sold: Rs. 2500 per ton
• Total income: Rs. 125,000
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• Cost of cultivation: Rs. 60,000
• Net income: Rs. 65,000
• Cane sold: To factory

30. Cost-Benefit Analysis of 2 Case Studies
SSI vs. Conventional (per acre)
SSI vs. Conventional
Bastapure Sagar Narsingh Rajkumar Jadhav
Particulars
SSI Conventional SSI Conventional
Land Cost Own land Own land Own land Own land
Seed Cost 10,000 7,000 11000 7,500
Land Preparation Cost 2,000 2,000 3,000 6,500
Transplantation 500 2,000 1,000 1,500
Fertilizer Cost 18,000 18,000 25,000 25,000
Weeding/Earthing up 8,000 15,000 9,000 15,000
Propping-up NA NA 1,000 1,000
Irrigation 8,500 10,000 10,000 15,000
Harvesting By factory By factory By factory By factory
TOTAL COST 47,000 54,000 60,000 71,500
Output (t/acre) 57 40 50 40
Total Income 1,42,500 1,00,000 1,25,000 1,00,000
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NET INCOME 95,500 46,000 65,000 28,500
Avg. yield of Latur district: 28 t/acre

31. SSI experiences so far..
• Andhra Pradesh
– 25 acres (10 ha) in Zaheerabad, A.P., 2009-10
– 40 acres (16 ha) in Zaheerabad, A.P., 2010-11
– 100 acres (40 ha) in Zaheerabad, A.P., 2011-12
• Uttar Pradesh
– 25 acres (10 ha) in Triveni Sugar factory, 2009-10
– 381 acres (154 ha) in 7 districts of Triveni Sugar units, 2010-11
– 757 acres (305 ha) in 7 districts of Triveni Sugar units, 2011-12
• Odisha
– 5 acres (2 ha) in Nayagarh, Odisha, 2009-10
– 27 acres (11 ha) in Nayagarh, Odisha, 2009-10
– 60 acres (24 ha) in Nayagarh, Odisha, 2010-11
– 135 acres (55 ha) in Nayagarh, Bargarh, Ganjam, Odisha, 2011-12
– 200 acres (81 ha) in Nayagarh, Bargarh, Ganjam, Odisha, 2012-13
• Punjab
– 9 acres (3.6 ha) in Gurdaspur, Punjab, 2010-11
• Maharashtra
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– 124 acres (50 ha) in Latur, Maharashtra, 2011-12
– 422 acres (170 ha) in Sholapur, Maharashtra, 2012-13
– 102 acres (41 ha) in Beed, Maharashtra, 2012-13

32. Increase in Cane Yield
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 2009 – Zaheerabad, AP (WWF-ICRISAT Project)
25 SSI plots 15 Traditional plots
138 t/ha 115 t/ha (increase of 20%)
(Published in Sugtech Journal, Aug, 2012)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. 2010 – Demo plots -17 AP, TN, Orissa, UP by AgSri
SSI plots Traditional plots
112.4 t/ha 86.6 t/ha (increase of 29.7%)
(Published as booklet by AgSri:-
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http://www.agsri.com/images/documents/ssi/AgSri_SSI%20
casestudy%20book_low%20res15-03-12.pdf)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

33. Other Benefits
• Seed cane saving – reduce requirements
Conventional 7-10 t/ha; SSI only 1.25 t/ha
• Water saving in nursery – 90 % in the first month
• Water saving in main field – Use of drip system
& wide spacing saves up to 30-60%
• Scope for Intercropping… improve soil fertility
Saving in conventional fertilisers and pesticides
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due to scope for more targeted doses, with high
intake methods

34. Contd..
• Faster varietal spread –
Conventional 1:6 to 1:8; SSI 1: 100
• Water essentially confined to the root zone
- Salinity build-up reduced
• Healthy growth from the beginning -
Pest and disease incidence lower
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• Intercropping is possible –
Additional/interim income for the farmer

35. SSI: Potential and Market Size
• $1-1.5 billion in India alone
• SSI will re-define sugarcane cultivation
• Once farms switch to SSI, it is difficult to
go back because of economic advantage
• Other benefits – social, ecological and
economic – need to be studied and
communicated
• Integration and development of
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appropriate equipment still not complete

36. Business opportunity in Maharastra…
N
Maharashtra
Total Sugarcane Area: 0.96 Million Ha
Total Sugar Factories Operated: 170
Sugarcane Growing Districts: 26
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10% of the area.. 100,000 ha/ y..
Source: Aug 2012, Commissionerate of Sugar, Maharashtra State, Pune

37. SSI: Challenges for V.2
• Extending bud life:
• Establishing optimal bud
size
• Improve germination
• Storage protocols
• Standardization of growth
medium and of micro-
nutrients
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• Nursery protocol for
optimal results

38. SSI: Future Direction
• Reaching at least 100,000 farmers
• Improving the process, V2.0
• Quantification of water
saving, yields, labour, and other benefits
to farmers, ecosystems and society
• Integration of appropriate machines in
planting & weeding
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39. The business world is very curious..
• THE PERFECT HARVEST
Outlook Business | Sept. 1, 2012
• CANE DONE RIGHT
Entrepreneur | Nov. 2012 | Vol. 4 | Issue
3
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http://www.agsri.com/news_events.html

40. Thank You
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