History

History – Sugarcane Development and Sugar Industry Department

Sugarcane is a descendant of the Saccharum genus of plants, and the modern sugarcane originated from the crossbreeding of two plants in this genus. These two plants are Saccharum officinarum and Saccharum spontaneum. The first sugarcane variety, CO 205, was developed from their hybridization.

In 1904, the British government sent Charles Alfred Barber, a botanist, to the University of Madras to explore the potential of sugarcane. In 1912, Charles Alfred Barber and George Clarke established the Sugarcane Research Institute in Shahjahanpur. This marked the beginning of sugarcane development in India. The first developed variety, CO 205, was produced in Coimbatore, followed by varieties such as CO 213, 214, 313, etc. New varieties were also developed at the Shahjahanpur Sugarcane Research Center using seeds from Coimbatore.

At the Shahjahanpur Sugarcane Research Center, varieties like UP 1, UP 2, and later, Kosa varieties were developed. Currently, sugarcane varieties like Kosa 8436, Kosa 88230, Kosa 96268, etc., are being cultivated in Uttarakhand. In Uttarakhand, the development and promotion of high-yielding sugarcane varieties are being carried out at the Research Crop Center of Govind Ballabh Pant Agriculture University and the Sugarcane Research Center in Kashipur (established in 1974).

The first sugar mill in Uttarakhand was established in Kashipur in 1936. The sugar mill in Baghpat, established in 1932, was relocated to Laksar, Haridwar in 1938, while the Iqbalpur sugar mill was shifted from Hameera, Punjab to Uttarakhand in 1954. The first cooperative sugar mill was established in Bajpur in 1958-59. Currently, there are eight sugar mills in Uttarakhand located in four sugarcane-producing districts: Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital, Haridwar, and Dehradun. Of these, Udham Singh Nagar has four mills (three cooperative and one government), Haridwar has three (all private), and Dehradun has one (government), with a total crushing capacity of 41,500 TCD.

The Sugarcane Development Department is operational to ensure a steady supply of sugarcane to these mills, maintain the balance of sugarcane varieties in the sugar mill area, educate farmers about modern sugarcane farming techniques, and implement development programs. Similarly, sugarcane committees are operational for the marketing of sugarcane and agricultural investments. To accelerate development work in the region, a Sugarcane Development Council (a total of 10 councils) is operational in each sugar mill area, and there are 14 sugarcane development committees and one sugar mill committee for marketing activities.