- Digital tracking of seeds to be provided to sugarcane farmers in Uttar Pradesh
- Mobile app being developed by Sugar Industry and Cane Development Department
- Transparency to be ensured in seed distribution as per state government’s vision
- More than 46 lakh sugarcane farmers to benefit
News Street Live, Lucknow, April 17: The Uttar Pradesh government is taking a major step to provide relief to sugarcane farmers through digital means. In this direction, farmers will be connected to a new seed tracking system to ensure better productivity and increased income.
In line with the state government’s vision, the Sugar Industry and Cane Department is developing a new mobile app that will track seeds from research centres to farmers’ fields.
Additional Cane Commissioner, UP, V.K. Shukla stated, “Farmers are a priority for the state government. Uttar Pradesh plays a significant role in sugarcane cultivation, and the department is continuously working to enhance facilities to farmers. The new mobile app will ensure tracking of seed distribution, enabling farmers to receive quality seeds and leading to higher production. Preparations for the app launch are progressing rapidly.”
Under the direction of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the department has prepared a plan to completely curb black marketing of seeds. The plan includes providing high-quality seeds to farmers and tracking them through the Seed Trace and Track mobile app.
This system is expected to benefit sugarcane farmers across Uttar Pradesh by ensuring quality seed availability and improving productivity. Better yields from quality seeds will also lead to an increase in farmers’ income.
District Cane Officer Vijay Bahadur Singh from the Lucknow headquarters stated, “The mobile app is being developed with the support of multiple institutions. Uttar Pradesh Remote Sensing Application Centre and Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N), Gujarat, are jointly working on the Seed Trace and Track mobile app for sugarcane farmers.”
He added, “The best part is that the department is not spending even one rupee on developing this digital app. The entire work is being carried out under the PM Gati Shakti scheme. The app is expected to be launched within one to two months, and it is currently under testing. Field-level testing will also be conducted.”
Benefits of Seed Trace and Track mobile app
- Sugarcane seeds reach farmers after three to four stages. Initially, seeds are developed at research centres, then sent to the Sugarcane Development Council (foundation seed production centre), followed by primary seed production nurseries, and finally distributed to farmers. Tracking was difficult across these stages, but the new mobile app will make it possible.
- Farmers will be able to check seed availability on the mobile app and send their demand directly to the department. Based on demand and availability, sugarcane supervisors at the Sugarcane Development Council will ensure supply in each district.
- Data of farmers receiving sugarcane seeds will also be available on the app, making it easier to track production in subsequent stages.
- With tracking in place, it will become easier to change sugarcane varieties in the coming years based on productivity.
Fact File
Sugarcane farmers in UP – 46.50 lakh (supplying to sugar mills)
Total sugarcane production – 83.25 tonnes per hectare
Total sugarcane sowing (last year) – 28.61 lakh hectares
