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Scoping and Sustainability Analysis of Sugar Sector (Draft)
The sugar sector network basically comprises of the sugar cane farms, the local harvesters, the sugar mill, the local transporters, the distilleries/breweries, the co-generation units, small paper and pulp industries, the Khandsari units and the press mud bio-compost manufacturing units. In a given micro-region (area of the micro-region can vary from 15 to 35 Kms) these units may operate independently or in collaboration with each other thereby forming a network.
Each individual link of the network leaves its environmental footprints in the form of desirable or undesirable effects on the environment. This chapter shall try to assess the sustainability as well as the unsustainability aspects of the sugar sector.
The various sustainability and unsustainability aspects of the sugar sector network and their environmental foot-prints are discussed below:
Most of the Indian farmers diverted towards the sugarcane farming. In this year production of sugarcane is more as compare to last year. Farmers plant the sugarcane to make profit; it gives high yield/acres of land. In India sugar is an essential item of mass consumption and the cheapest source of energy, supplying around 10% of the daily calorie intake. With rising incomes of the farmers, India’s sugarcane cultivation area is 4-4.5 million hectares (ha) that is around 2.7% of India’s cropped area.
- Driver for revenue generation:
During harvesting season different service providers like harvesters, transporters get engaged into the activity and get benefited economically.
- Contribution towards national economy:
Estimated production of 18.6 MT(metric tonnes) in year 2006 that is around 10-12% of world’s sugar production and therefore Indian sugar industry sector is the second largest sugar producer in the world (after Brazil) and considered for around 1% of GDP of the country during financial year 2005. Sugar sector contributes an estimated Rs. 17 billion annually to national exchequer and treasuries of various state governments by way of excise duty and purchase tax on sugarcane. more>>
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