Coimbatore: In a bid to boost sugarcane cultivation, ICAR–Sugarcane Breeding Institute (ICAR-SBI), Coimbatore, recently showcased the newly released mid-late maturing variety Co 18009 at an event organized in Kanjapalli village in Annur taluk.Addressing farmers and extension officials, Dr P Govindaraj, director, ICAR-SBI, urged farmers to adopt improved cane varieties such as Co 18009, Co 11015 and Co 14012, noting that older varieties were losing productivity and prone to diseases, taking a toll on their income. He highlighted labour scarcity as a major challenge and emphasized that nearly 75% of sugarcane cultivation must be mechanized to remain profitable. He also announced plans to involve farmers in the breeding process and distributed Co 18009 seeds and extension literature. S Shanmugasundaram, vice-president, Bannari Amman Sugars Ltd, spoke about the factory’s subsidy schemes for farmers and urged ICAR-SBI to develop more early-maturing varieties suited to local conditions. Dr D Puthira Prathap, principal scientist, ICAR-SBI, explained that the event was organized to collect farmers’ feedback on Co 18009, demonstrated on a 1.9-acre plot managed by Nivedha Duraisamy, a farmer. She shared her experience with the 11-month-old crop, praising its non-flowering nature, low spininess, high tillering, multiple internodes and excellent yield potential. Dr Govindaraj expressed hope that innovations would restore confidence in sugarcane cultivation, currently grown on 940 acres in Coimbatore district, producing roughly 38,000 tonnes. This event highlighted the push towards modern, high-yielding and mechanized sugarcane farming in Tamil Nadu.
