Economic analysis of sugarcane cultivation in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra state

The present study analysed the economics of the production of sugarcane in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. The study was based on primary data. The data were collected by interviewing 90 sugarcane growers. The growers were categorized into small (less than 1.14 ha), medium (1.14 to 2.30 ha) and large (more than 2.30 ha) groups based on the area under sugarcane cultivation. At the overall level, the total cost for producing (Cost-C) suru sugarcane was ?260,446 per hectare, with returns of ?303,084 per hectare. In contrast, ratoon sugarcane cultivation cost (Cost-C) was ?153,145 per hectare, with returns of ?183,894 per hectare. The cost to produce one quintal of suru sugarcane was ?275, while for ratoon it was ?267. Productivity for suru sugarcane was 94.64 MT while in ratoon sugarcane it was 57.33 MT. The benefit-cost ratio was 1.16 for suru and 1.20 for ratoon, indicating that both suru and ratoon sugarcane crops are profitable at all levels of cost in the Sindhudurg district. The higher BC ratio for ratoon sugarcane suggests that it offers better profitability than suru sugarcane, despite its lower yields.