A study on the yield gap and constraints in sugarcane cultivation

The present study was undertaken to assess the yield gap and constraints experienced by the sugarcane growers in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu state. One hundred twenty respondents were selected based on the proportionate random sampling. A well-structured and pre-tested interview schedule was used for the collection of data. The results revealed that majority of the sugarcane growers (60.00%) had medium level of yield gap. More than 80 per cent of the respondents reported that irregular power supply, high cost of inputs, red rot disease, high cost of labour, weed problems, delay of cutting order and scarcity of labour were their major problems. More than 70 per cent of the respondents reported rodent problem, non-availability of inputs, lodging of cane and inter-node borer their constraints. Insufficient credit facilities and lack of technical guidance were the problems expressed by 66.00 and 40.00 per cent of the respondents respectively.