The new sugarcane varieties, produced at Sugarcane Research Institute (SRI), here have the potential of giving higher yield, provided the recommended agronomic practices are adopted.
This was stated by the SRI Director, Dr Arshad Ali Chattha, at the Farmers' Day function on sugarcane and sugar beet cultivation held at Ayub Agricultural Research Institute here.
The day was organised by SRI, Faisalabad under the project, "Introduction of sugar beet and sugarcane productivity enhancement programme (ISESP).
The SRI Director dilated upon the good characters of sugarcane varieties produced at the institute.
He revealed that the varieties, produced at the institute, were second to none in higher sugar recovery.
The SRI Director also informed the participants about the new lines of sugarcane, which were in the pipeline and ready to be released for general cultivation very shortly.
The participants discussed in detail various problems faced by the sugarcane industry, including the payment of quality premium to the farmers, steps, which should be taken to increase sugar recovery and causes of low sugarcane yield in Pakistan as compared to other countries.
In the technical session, the scientists presented papers on various aspects of production technology of sugarcane and sugar beet in the country.
A progressive farmer, Mian Azam Saeed, and World Bank representative, Dr Mubarak Ali, also participated in the day along with a large number of farmers, representatives of sugarcane industry and agricultural scientists.