Sugarcane farmers in India face the following problems :
a. Canal irrigation is ideal for providing alternating dry and wet conditions for sugarcane. But in India, canals are often non-perennial. This factor makes the supply of water uncertain.
b. In south India digging of canals is very difficult. Also, rainfall received is low in interior parts of the Deccan.
c. Sugarcane cultivation requires a large quantity of manure and fertilizers as it is a soil-exhausting crop.
d. Cultivation of sugarcane on very small farms becomes highly uneconomic.
e. In many cases, farms growing sugarcane are away from the factories. A delay of more than 2 days, i.e., 48 hours between harvesting and crushing of sugarcane gives decreased sugar content of the sugarcane.
f. The support price determined by the government for sugarcane does not consider the quality of sugarcane. So, there is no incentive for better crop.
