Cane harvesters promise end to ‘labour’ pains by Anju Agnihotri Chaba

Introduction of sugarcane harvesters in Punjab may be the answer to the acute shortage of agricultural labour in the state. The Punjab government has decided to promote harvester use in a big way and has offered a subsidy of 25 per cent on the Rs 1-crore harvester. The sugarcane harvester imported from Australia is useful on all types of landholdings, including small and medium sized landholdings, and is capable of efficiently harvesting more than 200 tonnes per day. It also helps in reducing cane loss.

“As compared to manual harvesting, the harvesting through this machine would save around 30 to 33 per cent labour charges per acre to the farmers,” said the expert while adding that this easy to use and reliable machine represents a unique solution for farmers who want to capitalise on strong sugar pricing.

The Punjab sugarcane department has recently imported a sugarcane harvester from Australia while the Phagwara-based Wahid Sandhar Sugar Mill, which has a large sugarcane area under it, is the first mill of the state to have this harvester. Punjab cane commissioner Dr Mangal Singh Sandhu said that for the first time a sugarcane harvester is being introduced in the state and a live demonstration will take place within a week. “Soon 10 more harvesters are being imported,” he said. Almost all private sugar mills and profitable cooperative mills will purchase harvesters.