This paper has identified production constraints and has suggested strategies and polices for doubling farmer's income in sugarcane based farming system in Uttar Pradesh based on primary data collected from four districts having more than 20 per cent gross cropped area under sugarcane. Two sugar mills from each selected district and 15 farmers from each sugar mills were selected to draw a total sample of 120 farmers. The data were collected during sugarcane crushing season 2015–16. The results reveal that sugarcane cultivation and its processing play a key in rural-based agro-industrialization. The strategies for sugarcane production were basically focused on enhancing crop productivity and improve sugar processing efficiency. The study has concluded that sugarcane cultivation is more remunerative under ISPT method than conventional method. However, the poor ratoon management, large area under rejected varieties, limited availability of quality seed of cane, escalating inputcosts, fluctuating output-prices and labour scarcity are the major constraints to improve sugarcane productivity and profitability. Strategies like crop diversification, entrepreneurship development and formation of farmer producers organization (FPO) could be effective in doubling sugarcane farmers’ income by 2022.
Sugarcane production technology, intercropping, income-enhancing strategies, Uttar Pradesh
