Coimbatore: A conference on the replacement for sugarcane was held at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU). As per reports, Belgium's sugar beet is likely to replace the cultivation of sugarcane.
Coimbatore: A conference on the replacement for sugarcane was held at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU). As per reports, Belgium's sugar beet is likely to replace the cultivation of sugarcane.

Addressing the media, the Vice-Chancellor of TNAU, Kumar said, "Sugarcane is a 10-month crop and needs more water for cultivation. Due to the prevailing water scarcity, research has been conducted to replace sugarcane cultivation. Following this, a type of crop named "Sugar Beet" from Belgium is to be cultivated on December 1, 2019 and tested at six sugarcane research centres across Tamil Nadu."

Kumar stated that the crop will grow in four and a half months and will require only one-third of the water required by sugarcane. This type of crop is already being cultivated in large quantities in US and European countries. He further added that based on the research results, this variety of crop will be recommended to farmers.