NIZAMABAD: Under favourable conditions, sugarcane cultivation has sharply decreased in Telangana. Lack of awareness, low prices, and uncertainty have pushed farmers to shift from sugarcane to paddy. For centuries, farmers in Telangana cultivated sugarcane either for jaggery making or sugar production.
In the early 2000s, sugarcane was grown on nearly 10 lakh acres in the state. Today, that figure has fallen drastically to just 35,641 acres. Although the Agriculture Department estimated that 59,275 acres could be under sugarcane this year, only Sangareddy district shows significant cultivation, with 27,140 acres—the highest in the state.
Sugarcane is a crop vulnerable to both excessive rainfall and drought. Farmers in the erstwhile Nizamabad, Medak, and Karimnagar districts once grew it extensively. However, the closure of Nizam Deccan Sugar Limited’s (NDSL) main unit in Bodhan and its branches in Metpally and Medak led to a steep decline in cultivation.
The shutdown of the Nizamabad Cooperative Sugar Factory (NCSF) and other private factories also contributed to the fall. Interestingly, ethanol production from sugarcane has revived the industry in several other states. In this context, state governments announcing support prices for sugarcane has been a major relief for both farmers and sugar mill operators.
