THE Sindh government has raised the sugarcane sowing target for the current year, anticipating an increase in upper Sindh’s acreage. Meanwhile, it is primarily the Ghotki district and its surrounding areas where cane cultivation is improving every year.

The agriculture department has proposed a sowing target of 272,000 hectares, up 25,000 hectares, which seems achievable mainly in Gotki district. Usually, the target is set on the average acreage of a given crop for the last three years. In the case of sugarcane, the average acreage in crop years 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 was 247,000 hectares.

However, in the last season, the cane target was raised to 300,000 hectares, as the crop was cultivated on 297,000 hectares — 10.60pc above the sowing target of 269,000 hectares. During the previous two years, the cane targets could not be achieved mainly on account of natural disasters.

Sindh always gets irrigation water first during kharif when indented water supplies or lesser flows in River Indus start reaching Guddu barrage. And this seems to be the main reason that growers prefer cane and paddy over cotton. Secondly, farmers, particularly those in Ghotki, have the additional advantage of supplying cane to factories located at some distance in Punjab, besides factories in Sindh.

The agriculture department has proposed a sowing target of 272,000 hectares

In 2013, Ghotki — traditionally a cotton growing area — witnessed a sharp increase in sugarcane cultivation when it was grown on 25,060 hectares.

Sugarcane has two sowing seasons, i.e. autumn (October) and spring (February). The fast increasing acreage is attributed to three factors: reluctance of farmers to grow cotton in kharif season on account of shortage of irrigation water (mainly in lower Sindh), threat of natural disaster, and low phutti prices. The prices continue to decline this season as well.

The cotton crop is fast losing ground to sugarcane and paddy crops. The Sindh government is yet to notify the intervention price for cotton and rice, which was recently agreed with growers.

A cane grower and Sindh Abadgar Board vice-president Mahmood Nawaz Shah says Pakistan’s sugar production exceeds the domestic consumption requirement. He reiterated that SAB is opposed to the rapidly rising sugarcane cultivation in northern Sindh due to inadequate water supplies. “This increase is primarily due to the fact that we are performing poorly in cotton sector,” while sugar mills continue to be set up in Sindh, he added.

The price-wise growers have not been content with sugarcane’s rate either. During the past two years, the Sindh government has kept sugarcane’s rate unchanged at Rs172 per 40kg. Alternatively, growers go for some short duration crops like mustard, rapeseed, corn and sunflower.

Sindh Chamber of Agriculture General Secretary Nabi Bux Sathio points out that an increase in sugarcane acreage in upper Sindh seems to be understandable as its cultivation has dropped in lower part of Sindh due to inadequate water supplies. However, farmers are now more inclined towards shorter duration crops.

Published in Dawn, Economic & Business, September 1st, 2014