Syngenta has introduced sugar beet in India for cultivation in tropical conditions. Tropical sugar beet, says the company, brings significant agronomic, environmental and output advantages to Indian farming and the Indian economy. The beet, it says, delivers similar output yields to sugar cane and can be used both for processing sugar for food and conversion to bioethanol.
The new sugar beet can be grown in relatively dry areas with substantially less water than typically required by sugar cane. It is faster growing and can be harvested after five months, allowing farmers to grow a second crop on the same land, thus increasing agricultural output and raising farmer income.
Syngenta is engaged in two tropical sugar beet projects, one producing product for food, the other, at Klala, near Pune, for biofuel. At the Kalas project Syngenta co-operates with over 12,000 farmers linked to Harneshwar Agro Products, which built and operates a bio-ethanol production plant processing Syngenta tropical beet. The faster growth of tropical beets increases annual ethanol output over sugar cane.
Biofuel Review