Economic Assessment of Sugarcane Harvesting and Transportation Interventions in Haryana

Intercultural operations stand out as the primary consumer of labour within the realm of sugarcane cultivation in India. In the study area, manual harvesting required 91.58 man-days per ha, with cutting accounting for the highest labour usage at 26.66 per cent, followed by detopping (21.70 per cent), bundle making (19.65 per cent), detrashing (18.24 per cent), and loading (13.74 per cent) of the total labour usage. Regionally, the highest total labour usage recorded was 96.63 man-days per ha in Karnal, followed by 92.38 man-days per ha in Yamunanagar and 85.75 man-days per ha in Rohtak district. The transportation cost of sugarcane via various means in Haryana was found to be approximately ?24.77 per quintal, with varying costs recorded in specific regions: ?24.94, 21.64, and 27.99 for Karnal, Yamunanagar, and Rohtak respectively. In terms of incentives or support extended by sugar mills to farmers, initiatives such as support for purchasing agro-chemicals (100.00 per cent coverage), subsidized food provisions at sugar mills (65.00 per cent coverage), and facilitating extension services for timely dissemination of production and protection technologies (58.33 per cent coverage) were identified. Mechanized harvesting technologies can substantially reduce labour costs and address labour scarcity challenges, and upgrading transportation infrastructure and logistics between farms and sugar mills can enhance the farmer's income for sugarcane production.