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Priya Singh
Pilibhit, U.P: The Indian Sugar & Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) and ICAR-Indian Sugarcane Research Institute (ICAR-ISRI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish an advanced centre for producing quality sugarcane planting material.
The MoU, signed on August 13, aims to create a science-led system for the multiplication, certification and distribution of genetically pure, disease-free and high-yielding sugarcane planting material for farmers.
The proposed centre will be established at the ICAR-ISRI campus in Lucknow. It will focus on assured production and timely supply of recommended new sugarcane varieties.
The facility will use protected and scientifically managed cultivation methods to rapidly multiply elite varieties. It will also support systematic replacement and diversification of varieties across participating sugar mill command areas, with the aim of improving cane productivity and sugar recovery.
The initiative will strengthen quality control through phytosanitary measures, including disease indexing, hardening and regular field monitoring.
A digital traceability system will also be introduced, allowing seed lots to be tracked from the laboratory to the field. This is expected to improve transparency in the supply of planting material and strengthen quality assurance.
ISMA Director General Deepak Ballani said quality planting material is essential for improving productivity, sugar recovery and sustainable farm incomes.
The partnership is aimed at taking research and technological advances from the laboratory to farmers at scale, while supporting the long-term competitiveness of the sugar sector.
The initiative has also received support from Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Government of India Joint Secretary (Sugar) Ashwini Srivastava.
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