About Us

The sugarcane species Saccharum traces its lineage to a specific genus, with modern sugarcane emerging from the hybridization of two species: Saccharum officinarum and Saccharum spontaneum. The first cultivated sugarcane variety, CO 205, resulted from the crossbreeding of these two species.

In 1904, the British government appointed botanist Charles Alfred Barber to Madras University to explore the potential of sugarcane cultivation. Later, in 1912, he and George Clarke established the Sugarcane Research Institute in Shahjahanpur, marking the beginning of systematic sugarcane research in India. The first sugarcane variety developed in Coimbatore was CO 205, followed by CO 213, CO 214, CO 313, and others. The Shahjahanpur Sugarcane Research Center later introduced new varieties using seeds sourced from Coimbatore.

At the Shahjahanpur center, initial varieties such as UP 1 and UP 2 were developed, paving the way for the CO Sha series. Presently, varieties like CO Sha 8436, CO Sha 88230, and CO Sha 96268 are cultivated in Uttarakhand. Research and advancement of improved sugarcane varieties in the state are carried out at the crop research center of Gobind Ballabh Pant Agriculture University and the Sugarcane Research Center in Kashipur, established in 1974.

Uttarakhand’s first sugar mill was set up in Kashipur in 1936. The sugar mill originally established in Badaut, Baghpat, in 1932 was relocated to Laksar in Haridwar district in 1938, while the Iqbalpur sugar mill was transferred from Hamira, Punjab, in 1954. The first cooperative sugar mill was founded in Bajpur between 1958 and 1959. Today, Uttarakhand has eight sugar mills spread across the key sugarcane-growing districts of Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital, Haridwar, and Dehradun. Among these, Udham Singh Nagar has four mills (two cooperative, one private and one government-run), Haridwar has three private mills, and Dehradun has one government-owned mill. Collectively, these mills have a total crushing capacity of 41,500 TCD.

The Sugarcane Development Department oversees the supply of sugarcane to these mills, ensures the balanced distribution of sugarcane varieties, promotes modern farming techniques among farmers, and implements developmental initiatives. Additionally, sugarcane committees manage sugarcane marketing and agricultural investments. To further boost sugarcane development in Uttarakhand, 10 Sugarcane Development Councils operate within the regions of different sugar mills. Furthermore, 14 sugarcane development committees and one sugar mill committee are dedicated to supporting marketing efforts.