Ferdous Alam is a sugarcane farmer from Balua village in Gobindaganj, Gaibandha. He has been cultivating sugarcane for several years. He used to sell his harvest to Rangpur Sugar Mill in Mahimaganj. But since its closure, he now sells to Joypurhat Sugar Mill. Ferdous supports his family with this income.
Nearly 45 percent of the country’s total workforce is involved in agriculture. The majority of these farmers are engaged in rice cultivation. After rice, sugarcane remains the second most widely cultivated crop. There are several sugar mills in Rajshahi and Khulna, which has led to higher sugarcane cultivation in the regions. However, due to government sugar mills gradually shutting down one by one, sugarcane farming has declined significantly. Analysts believe that reopening these mills will increase sugar reserves. Consequently, the government would be able to control sugar prices which will reduce the dominance of the importers in the market.
Ferdous Alam told Bonik Barta, “I have cultivated sugarcane on one acre of land this year. The prices were good. But after the local sugar mill being closed, I have to sell my crop in Joypurhat. Many farmers are now moving away from sugarcane due to rising costs of fertilizer, fuel, pesticides, and irrigation. They are turning to sweet potato cultivation as an alternative crop. A Japanese company is providing free fertilizer, fuel, and pesticides for the crop in the region. They have also promised to buy the cultivated sweet potatoes at BDT 920 per maund (37.32 kg).”
According to a recent report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), about 57 percent of farmers in the country is engaged in sugarcane cultivation. This means that the crop is second most cultivated after rice in the country. The report also mentions that approximately 30 percent of farmers in the country cultivate various vegetables, jute, and pulses. And 22 percent produce potatoes, 23 percent grow onions. The report was prepared considering multiple crop cycles per year. Typically, most farmers cultivate more than one crop throughout the year.
Agricultural economists believe that the closure of government sugar mills has discouraged farmers from sugarcane cultivation. However, reopening the mills could reverse this trend. Dr. Jahangir Alam, Director of the Dhaka School of Economics, told Bonik Barta, “If government sugar mills resume operations, farmers will once again be motivated to cultivate sugarcane, increasing the government’s sugar reserves. This would enable the government to play a role in price stabilization. However, this requires a new operational model that reduces production costs and improves unit output.”
It is reported that, on average, sugarcane yields about 52 tons per hectare, producing around four tons of molasses. Cultivating sugarcane on one hectare of land and producing molasses costs between BDT 180,000 and BDT 200,000.
Data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) on agricultural production show that sugarcane was cultivated on 172,289 acres of land in the 2022-23 fiscal year. This resulted in a production of about 3 million tons of sugarcane. Rajshahi division recorded the highest production with 468,000 tons. This was followed by 404,000 tons in the Khulna region, 369,000 tons in Rangpur, and 291,000 tons in Mymensingh. On the other hand, Barisal and Sylhet divisions reported the lowest sugarcane cultivation in the country.
Over the last decade, sugar prices in the country have surged by nearly 150 percent. But sugarcane prices have not seen a comparable rise. Additionally, many government sugar mills being closed have left sugarcane farmers in distress. Mohammad Hasibul Islam, a farmer from Krishnapur village in Rajshahi’s Puthia upazila, has been cultivating sugarcane for a long time. Last year, after the closure of Rajshahi Sugar Mill, he stopped cultivating sugarcane. With the government reopening the mill this year, he resumed cultivation on his 3.5 bighas of land. His total cost for planting and maintaining the crop was approximately BDT 42,000. He had a yield of 975 maunds (1 maund = 37.32 kg) of sugarcane. He sold his harvest at the Puthia cane center of Rajshahi Sugar Mill for BDT 220,000.
Hasibul highlighted a few challenges in sugarcane cultivation and marketing. The two main problems are irrigation and fertilizer. Without sufficient water, sugarcane cannot grow large or thick. He added that obtaining TSP fertilizer under government incentives from Rajshahi Sugar Mill is difficult. While sugarcane cultivation can be profitable, receiving payment for the harvest often takes 4-5 months, creating financial strain. Hasibul said that addressing these challenges would benefit both farmers and sugar mills.
In December 2020, the then-Awami League government shut down six state-owned sugar mills. The mills are Kushtia Sugar Mills, Shyampur Sugar Mills in Rangpur, Setabgonj Sugar Mills in Dinajpur, Panchagarh Sugar Mills, Pabna Sugar Mills, and Rangpur Sugar Mills. Sugarcane crushing in these mills has been halted for nearly four years. The current interim government is considering reopening these mills in phases. Relevant authorities have reportedly begun forming a task force to address the issue.
However, Md Anwar Kabir, Secretary of the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC), told Bonik Barta that efforts to restart the closed mills have not progressed significantly due to various constraints. He said, “We are trying in this regard. But the mills cannot be operated without an adequate supply of sugarcane. The quantity needed for crushing over two to three months is unavailable. However, we hope farmers will increase sugarcane production if they are assured of government-fixed prices.”
Farmers believe they will regain interest in sugarcane cultivation if these challenges are resolved and high-yielding varieties are made available. Nevertheless, Dr. Kabir Uddin Ahmed, Director General of the Bangladesh Sugarcrop Research Institute, sees no immediate crisis in sugarcane cultivation. He told Bonik Barta, “The high-yielding BSRI-43 and BSRI-44 sugarcane varieties are performing well. However, issues such as system losses in sugar mills, outdated machinery, and other operational problems have led to the mills' closure. There are several reasons for their low production.”
Meanwhile, last month, Adilur Rahman Khan, Industrial Adviser to the Interim Government, inaugurated the sugarcane crushing season at North Bengal Sugar Mills in Lalpur, Natore. He stated that the interim government aims to reduce sugar import dependency by increasing domestic production and reopening the six closed state-owned sugar mills.
(Rajshahi and Gaibandha correspondents contributed to this report.)