Sarhad J. Agric. Vol.22, No.3, 2006 INVESTIGATING THE STAGNANT STATUS OF SUGARCANE IN NWFP A SAMPLE SURVEY OF CHARSADDA DISTRICT Arshad Farooq, Muhammad Ishaq, Asif Khan and Umar Farooq ABSTRACT This study was conducted in district Charsadda during 2004, to investigate into the reasons for stagnant status of area under sugarcane and to make policy recommendations. The area farmers allocated almost one third of the cropped area to sugarcane crop. More than half of the respondents reported that they have not changed their sugarcane area for the last five years and urged that the soil is best suited to sugarcane crop. There is a remarkable decrease in sugarcane production because of termite attack, while the other important factors were top borer attack and land fragmentation. INTRODUCTION Sugarcane is an important cash crop after cotton and rice in Pakistan and is mainly grown for sugar and Gur production in NWFP. It is essentially a crop of tropics; it requires a humid climate, well-distributed rainfall and stable temperature. But Pakistan lies outside the tropics, which reduce the growing season for cane to a relatively short period of 8 to 12 months, as compared to 12 to 24 months in other cane growing countries (Lodhi et al., 1988). The average yield in Pakistan (47 tons per hectare) is considerably low than those obtained in many other countries, such as Egypt (110.8 t/ha), Australia (100.4 t/ha), Colombia (80.5 t/ha) and USA (80.2 t/ha) etc. Pakistan ranks at fifth position in cane acreage and almost fifteenth in sugar production. Sugarcane is grown on 4.6 and 7 percent (one million hectares) of the total cropped and cropped area in Kharif season in Pakistan, respectively. NWFP ranks third in area contribution (16 %), after Sindh (26 %) and Punjab (62 %). Same trend can be observed in the cane production where Punjab contributes 58.4 %, followed by Sindh, 30.8 % and NWFP, 10.6 %. The national average cane yield (47 t/ha) is far below the existing potential. In respect of cane yield Sindh, with 53 t/ha is the leading province followed by NWFP (45 t/ha) and Punjab (40 t/ha). Area under sugarcane cultivation increased gradually up to 1993-94 and after that, it remained same. Average national cane yield also followed similar trend as of cane acreage. However, sugar recovery remained same, without any improvement, for the last many years. Trends in area under cane, cane yield, sugar production and sugar recovery in the country is given in Table I. Table I Trends in area under sugarcane, national average cane yield, sugar production and sugar recovery Year Area million ha Cane yield (t/ha) Sugar production (m. ton) Sugar recovery (%) 1991-92 0.8798 43.4 2.296 9.25 1992-93 0.8846 43.02 2.375 8.71 1993-94 0.9628 46.14 2.90 8.49 1994-95 1.009 46.75 2.983 8.72 1995-96 0.9631 47.0 2.449 8.70 1996-97 0.9645 43.54 2.378 8.69 1997-98 1.0562 50.3 3.555 8.64 1998-99 1.155 47.77 3.53 8.21 1999-2000 1.0098 45.80 2.42 8.32 2000-01 0.09 45.4 3.01 8.39 2001-02 0.99 48.1 3.19 8.71 2002-03 1.09 47.3 3.6 8.65 Pakistan Sugar Mills Association, Annual Report 2002-03 Keeping this in view; the present study was designed with the following specific objective to investigate into the reasons for stagnant sugarcane area and yield in the research area and to record farmers’ suggestion for the improvement of the sugarcane crop in the area. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study area consists of district Charsadda, known for its cane cultivation. This research is based on primary as well as secondary data; the primary data were collected through pre-tested questionnaire, Technology Transfer Institute (PARC), Tarnab, Peshawar – Pakistan.