The Pune - based Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI) along with two cooperative sugar mills will undertake a pilot project from October, to plant 100 hectares of sugar beet in Jalna and Ahmednagar, in Maharashtra. As per the plans, the crop would be harvested and used for extraction of sugar and ethanol by April 2007. Syngenta India Ltd, a leading farm inputs company, will provide the seeds for the project.
The sugar recovery from sugar beet was 15 to 16 per cent per tonne, while in sugarcane it was 11.6 per cent. The sugar beet crop is also tolerant to excessive salt in the soil.
Pilot projects would be carried at Sanjeevani Cooperative Sugar Factory, Kopargaon, Ahmednagar and Samarth Cooperative Sugar Factory, Ambad, Jalna. A mini plant at these factories is being set up with the help of VSI and National Heavy Engineering Cooperative Ltd, Pune.
The project would cost Rs 2 crore and the VSI has sought funds from the Sugar Development Fund of the Union Government for undertaking the project.
Maharashtra Government is likely to allocate some funds.
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| Posted : 7/15/2006 |
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