COIMBATORE: The National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF) and the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) have announced a joint funding plan to establish a centre of excellence at the ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute (ICAR-SBI) in Coimbatore, with ₹45 crore proposed from the industry and about ₹45 crore expected from the Union govt.Speaking after a brainstorming session, laboratory visits and field interactions with scientists here on Friday, NFCSF president and former Maharashtra minister Harshavardhan Patil said the centre of excellence would focus on developing higher-yielding and higher-recovery cane; boosting resistance to drought, floods, salinity and heat; improving ratoonability and input-use efficiency; and tailoring varieties for ethanol, bio-CNG and bio-energy needs. Patil said the programme would prioritise four variety themes: low-rainfall, waterlogging-prone, high-rainfall and high-temperature conditions.Patil said the Indian sugar sector supported over six crore farmers, nearly 50 lakh factory employees and more than one crore seasonal harvesting labourers, with annual turnover exceeding ₹1.5 lakh crore and yearly tax and duty contributions of over ₹16,000 crore.He attributed the move to a growing raw material crunch, saying the average crushing season across mills had fallen to about 100 days from 150–160 days earlier, and up to 200 days in some regions. Running year-round processing infrastructure with only around 100 days of cane availability was becoming economically unviable, he said.Patil said artificial intelligence and precision farming are already in use in Maharashtra. The Bill Gates Foundation has invested ₹400 crore to support satellite-based systems that connect linkages across the farm ecosystem, with about two lakh farmers using AI tools in the state. He urged the Tamil Nadu chief minister to adopt similar initiatives.ICAR-SBI director P Govindaraj said the funding would bridge infrastructure gaps and support modern breeding platforms, including genomics and genome editing, to address emerging biotic and abiotic stresses, including diseases such as pokkah boeng.
