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8/22/2019 Sugarcane Production in India
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Improving Workers Lives Worldwide
Task and Risk Mapping of
sugaRcane pRoducTion in
india
Prepared by Fair Labor Association
September 2012
8/22/2019 Sugarcane Production in India
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Task and Risk Mapping of sugaRcane pRoducTion in india
www.fairlabor.org
Table of conTenTs
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...............................................................................................................................................2
II. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................3
III. BACKGROUND ..............................................................................................................................................................4
3.1 Agriculture in India .........................................................................................................................................................4
3.2 Sugarcane Production ....................................................................................................................................................5
3.3 Sugarcane Derivatives ...................................................................................................................................................6
IV. STUDY METHODOLOGY ...............................................................................................................................................6
4.1 Assessment Team ............................................................................................................................................................7
4.2 Assessment Stages .........................................................................................................................................................7
4.3 Areas Covered and Inormation Gathering ...............................................................................................................9
V. FINDINGS ........................................................................................................................................................................10
5.1 Sugarcane Cultivation In India ...................................................................................................................................10
5.2 Government Regulations or the Sugarcane Industry .......................................................................................... 13
5.3 Sugarcane Farms in India ............................................................................................................................................ 13
5.4 Labor Profle and Recruitment ...................................................................................................................................145.5 Indian Laws and Legislation or the Agriculture Sector ...................................................................................... 14
5.6 Sugarcane Production and Supply Process ............................................................................................................ 15
5.6.1 Sowing ..................... ........................ ........................ ........................ ........................ ........................ ........................ .........15
5.6.2 Irrigation ...................... ........................ ........................ ........................ ........................ ........................ ........................ 16
5.6.3 Fertilizer and Pesticide Application ...................... ........................ ........................ ........................ .................... 16
5.6.4 Harvesting, Bundling, Loading and Transportation to Sugarcane Centers ....................... ................ 16
5.6.5 Unloading Sugarcane at Sugar Mill ...................... ........................ ........................ ........................ .....................17
5.7 Task and Risk Mapping o Sugarcane Production in North India ..................................................................... 17
5.8 Task and Risk Mapping o Sugarcane Production in South India ..................................................................... 21
5.9 Regional Observations ................................................................................................................................................ 24
5.9.1 Uttarakhand ...................... ........................ ......................... ........................ ........................ ........................ .................... 245.9.2 Uttar Pradesh ................................................................................................................................................................25
5.9.3 Gujarat ........................ ........................ ......................... ........................ ........................ ........................ ........................ .... 28
5.9.4 Maharashtra ..................... ........................ ......................... ........................ ........................ ........................ ..................... 31
5.9.5 Karnataka ...................... ........................ ......................... ........................ ........................ ........................ ........................ 36
VI. RISK ASSESSMENT BASED ON FLA CODE OF CONDUCT ........................................................................... 39
VII. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................................. 42
ANNEX I: Labor Laws and Regulations in India: Agriculture Sector .................................................................... 44
ANNEX II: Stakeholders Interviewed or the Study ..................................................................................................46
ANNEX III: Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... 51
TABLES AND FIGURES
Table 1: Agriculture in India vs. Rest o the World, Largest Crops By Economic Value ........................................4
Figure 1: Worldwide Sugarcane Production 2010.........................................................................................................5
Table 2: Assessment Stages .................................................................................................................................................8
Figure 2: Field Study Areas and Sugar Producing Regions in India ............................................................................9
Table 3: Sugarcane and Sugar Production in India 2010 2011 ................................................................................10
Table 4: Highlights o the Sugarcane Industry in India .................................................................................................11
Figure 3: Stakeholder Map o Sugarcane Supply Chain in India ................................................................................. 12
Figure 4: Crop Calendar o Sugarcane in India ............................................................................................................... 15
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i. eXecuTiVe suMMaRY
Given the Fair Labor Associations expertise
in task and risk mapping in the agriculture
sector and the interests o many FLA
stakeholders, FLA conducted this study
to: (1) map the upstream sugarcane supplychain rom the sugar processing units (sugar
mills) to sugarcane arms; (2) map the
various activities and tasks involved in the
production o sugarcane; (3) conduct a risk
assessment o labor issues with respect to
the various activities and production process
o sugarcane; and (4) map the stakeholders
involved in the sugarcane supply chain.
For the purpose o this mapping, a act-
nding approach was taken involving visits
to ve sugarcane-producing states in India
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat,
Maharashtra and Karnataka. A total o 91
interviews were conducted during the study,
including management o 10 sugar mills (34
actory management sta); sta at seven
civil society organizations; 13 government
ocials; 11 contractors; 18 armers; and eight
workers. Twenty-one arms were visited
during the course o the study. The questionswere mostly open-ended, keeping in mind
the supply chain review and the various FLA
Code o Conduct elements that required
observation.
India is currently the second-largest producer
o sugarcane and o sugar in the world, ater
Brazil. In 2011-2012, it is estimated that India
produced 380 million tons o cane and 26
26.5 million tons o sugar on an estimated 5.5
million hectares o land. Sugarcane is one o
Indias most important cash crops, accounting
or about 7.5% o the gross value o national
agricultural production.
The Government o India regulates closely the
sugarcane sector and sugar mills. The Central
Government sets out the Fair Remunerative
Price (FRP) or sugarcane at the start o
each season. Some o the states set out
their Statutory Advisory Price (SAP), which
is above the FRP. As per the Supreme Court
ruling,1 it is mandatory or mills to procure
sugarcane at these prices. There are currently
566 sugar mills operating in India, and most
mills are located in the vicinity o sugarcane
production areas to reduce transportation
costs and to retain quality. The command
area o each sugar mill is also dened
by the government and consists o many
thousands o arms including very small
arms located in a 25-50 kilometer radius. It
is mandatory or every actory to supply 10%
o its sugar production to the government
at the Levy Price established by the Central
Government. The remaining production issold in the open market against the release o
quota by the government.
Sugarcane production in India supports
50 million armers and their amilies. The
principal sugarcane growing areas are North
India, especially the state o Uttar Pradesh,
and South India, particularly the states o
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Sugarcane growing
practices in North and South o India vary.
Sugarcane is sown rom February-March
in the North and rom July-October in the
South. Sugarcane yield and sugar recovery
rom cane in the North are considerably lower
than in the South. In the North, sugarcane is
harvested by growers and supplied to sugar
mills/centers. In the South there is a growing
trend o sugar mills (also o armers) utilizing
third-party contractors who engage migrant
workers to harvest the crop to ensure mills
receive the sugarcane in a timely manner.
The laborers (usually married couples) arrive
at the arms with their amilies and work or
eight months (October-May). Children oten
accompany their parents and usually work on
1 Te Essetia Commodities (Amedmet) Bi, 2010
.prsidia.org/prit.pp?bi_id=1236&categor=41
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the arms alongside their mothers, carrying
seedlings rom trolleys to urrows, sowing,
cleaning, and harvesting. Sowing, harvesting,
loading/unloading and transportation is
mostly done by contract workers.
Farmers preer to harvest sugarcane a daybeore it is to be delivered to the mills so
that it does not lose its moisture content
and weighs more, thus maximizing prots,
with workers typically harvesting around the
clock. There is hardly any documentation at
the arm level. Workers do not have contracts;
wages are oten below minimum wages and
are paid to workers at the end o the harvest.
There are many health and saety concerns
with regards to sugarcane production,including the use o machetes to cut
sugarcane or preparation o seedlings and
or harvesting. Chemicals are oten applied
on the arms without proper protective
equipment or workers. Workers and their
amilies reside in temporary shelters made out
o bamboo and tarpaulin, sometimes without
access to water and sanitation acilities. Some
actories in the South provide schools or the
children o migrant workers, but this is not a
statutory requirement. The monitoring and
enorcement o local labor laws is generally
weak in the sugarcane arms.
Generally, the sugarcane supply chain in
India is transparent. Farmers details can be
tracked rom the data available rom sugar
mills. The association between arms and
the sugar mills provides a great opportunity
to drive compliance with labor standards
through the mills within their commandareas. Training and capacity building o
muqaddam (actory sta who arrange or
labor contractors and pay them advances
on behal o the sugar mill) could have a
positive impact on the recruitment process
and on the living and working conditions o
migrant laborers. Various armer associations,
civil society organizations and sugar cane
societies are connected to the network
o sugarcane growers and are involved in
extending sot loans, awareness building,
irrigation acilities, etc. These could prove
to be good delivery mechanisms or labor
standards and awareness o agronomical
practices. Furthermore, the presence o
various Government bodies and ocials
working in the sugarcane sector could be
leveraged to bring about sustainable change.
ii. inTRoducTion
The Fair Labor Association (FLA) conducted
this study to gather knowledge about the
sugarcane supply chain in India. The study
was designed considering FLAs process
or the agriculture sector that starts with a
mapping exercise, ollowed by task and risk
analysis o the agricultural commodity.
The objectives o this study were to:
maptheupstreamsugarcanesupply
chain rom the sugarcane processing
units (sugar mills) to sugarcane arms;
mapthevariousactivitiesandtasks
involved in the production and supply o
sugarcane rom arms to sugar mills;
conductariskassessmentoflaborissues
with respect to the various activities and
production process o sugarcane; and
mapthestakeholdersinvolvedinthe
sugarcane supply chain.
This report represents an initial step towards
mapping the vast sugarcane productionregions in India, and identiying associated
risks and relevant stakeholders in the eld.
It is intended to orm the basis or uture
mappings and assessments.
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iii. backgRound
3.1 agRiculTuRe in india
Agriculture is the mainstay o the Indian
economy and provides the principal means
o livelihood or about 60 percent o Indiaspopulation. It contributed about 14.5 percent
o the countrys gross domestic product
(GDP) in 2010-2011. For decades, Indian
agricultural policy has ocused on sel-
suciency and sel-reliance in ood-grain
production. Considerable progress has
been made on this ront, with ood-grain
production rising rom 52 million tons in 1951-
52, to 244.78 million tons in 2010-2011, and an
estimated 250 million tons in 2012.
India has a geographic area o 328.73
million hectares,2 o which the reported
2 1 ectare = 2.47 acres
area or land use is 306.04 million hectares.
Arable land is diminishing under strain rom
rapid urbanization and an ever-increasing
population o over 1.2 billion people. The
net area cultivated in 2011-12 is about 125.49
million hectares, or about 41 percent o the
total reported area. Only about 30 percent
o the total cropped area is irrigated and
the remaining area is rain-ed. Sugarcane
occupies 4.7- 5.1 million hectares o cultivable
land. Currently, India is the second-largest
producer o sugarcane in the world, ater
Brazil.3
Agricultural productivity (measured by
kilogram produced per hectare) in India has
3 Sugarcae productio from FAO statistica database, faostat.fao.
org. Goba cetrifuga sugar productio i 2011-2012 as 171.0 miio
tos ra vaue; Brazis productio as 36.2 miio tos ad Idias
28.8 miio tos; see USDA, Foreig Agricutura Service, Sugar:
World Markets and Trade, Ma 2012.
Table 1. agriculTure in india vs. resT of The World, TWenTy Top crops by economic value
RAnk PRODUCEVAlUE (2009 PRICES,
US$ BIllIOn)UnIT PRICE (US$ / kG)
AVERAGE yIElD InDIA
2010 (TOnS PER
hECTARE)
AVERAGE yIElD
OF wORlDS MOST
PRODUCTIVE FARMS
2010 (TOnS PER
hECTARE)
COUnTRy OF
wORlDS MOST
PRODUCTIVE FARMS
1 Rice $35.74 0.27 3.3 10.8 Austraia
2 Buffao mi $25.07 0.4 1.7 1.9 Paista
3 Co mi $14.09 0.31 1.2 10.3 Israe
4 weat $12.13 0.15 2.8 8.9 neterads
5 Sugarcae $8.61 0.03 66 125 Peru
6 Magoes $8.12 0.6 6.3 40.6 Cape Verde
7 Baaas $7.60 0.28 37.8 59.3 Idoesia
8 Cotto $5.81 1.43 1.6 4.6 Israe
9 Potatoes $5.31 0.15 19.9 44.3 USA
10 Fres Vegetabes $5.28 0.19 13.4 76.8 USA
11 Tomatoes $4.12 0.37 19.3 524.9 Begium
12 Beef $3.84 2.69 0.138 0.424 Taiad
13 Oios $2.92 0.21 16.6 67.3 Iread
14 Ora $2.90 0.64 10.6 20.2 Cprus
15 Cic peas $2.83 0.4 0.9 2.8 Cia
16 Fres fruits $2.79 0.35 7.6 23.9 Israe
17 Eggs $2.65 0.83 13.8 24.7 Jorda
18 Sobea $2.61 0.26 1.1 3.7 Ture
19 Catte meat $2.39 2.7 0.1 0.42 Japa
20 Grouduts $2.33 0.42 1.1 5.5 nicaragua
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shown a steady nationwide annual increase
over the past six decades. These gains have
come mainly rom Indias Green Revolution,4
increasing public awareness, education
and reorms,5 and improved connectivity
between rural and urban areas through link-
roads. Advances have also been made inthe development o inrastructure such as
agriculture universities, research centers,
procurement centers at district and sub-
division level and provision o electricity
and irrigation acilities in villages. Despite
these accomplishments, agriculture in India
still has the potential or major productivity
enhancements and total output gains,
because crop yields are still about 30-60
percent o the best sustainable crop yields
achieved in arms in other countries. Table 1
presents the 20 most important agricultural
commodities in India, by economic value in
2010. Included in the table is the average
productivity o Indian arms or each product
as well as the average o the most productive
arms in the world the country where the
most productive arms were located in 2010.6
4 .idiaoestop.com/Greerevoutio.tm
5 ttp://coutrstudies.us/idia/102.tm
6 Food ad Agricuture Orgaizatio of te Uited natios -
ttp://faostat.fao.org/ (FAOSTAT, 2009)
3.2 sugaRcane pRoducTion
Sugarcane reers to any o the 6-37 species
o tall perennial grasses o the genus
saccharum. Native to the warm climate o the
tropical regions o South Asia, it has stout
jointed brous stalks that are rich in sugar,
and measure two to six meters high. The
main product o sugarcane is sucrose, which
accumulates in the stalk internodes. Sucrose,
extracted and puried in specialized mills/
actories, is used as raw material in the ood
industry or is ermented to produce ethanol, a
low-pollution uel. In 2010, the United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
estimated that sugarcane was cultivated
on about 23.8 million hectares o land, in
more than 90 countries, with a worldwideharvest o 1.69 billion tons. Brazil is the largest
producer o sugarcane in the world. Figure 1
shows worldwide production o sugarcane in
2010.
Figure 1: Worldwide Sugarcane Production - 20107
7 Food Ad Agricutura Orgaizatio of Uited natios: Ecoomic
Ad Socia Departmet: Te Statistica Divisio
Figure 1: Worldwide Sugarcane Production - 20107
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3.3 sugaRcane deRiVaTiVes
Sugarcane and its components are used as
raw materials or a variety o products as
described below.
Crystallized Sugar
The main product o sugarcane is crystallized
sugar, or common white sugar. The stalks
o the sugarcane brought to the mills are
washed, cut into smaller pieces, or shredded.
Sucrose (in the orm o sugarcane juice) is
extracted rom the sugarcane by pressing it
under rollers. The juice undergoes a series o
processes to orm white sugar. The sugarcane
juice is boiled with carbon dioxide and milk
o lime to remove impurities. The clear juice
is ltered and undergoes the process o
evaporation. During evaporation, the claried
sugarcane juice is boiled until it is made
into a thick syrup. The syrup is boiled at
low temperatures under partial vacuum to
create sugar crystals. The sugar crystals and
molasses are separated in centriuges and
lters.
Cane Ethanol
Ethanol is a byproduct o sugar production.The sugar content in the juice is ermented
to orm ethanol. Ethanol can be used as a
bio-uel alternative to gasoline; it is widely
used to power cars in Brazil, where gasoline
is required to contain at least 22 percent
bio-ethanol. The production o ethanol rom
sugarcane is more energy ecient than rom
corn, sugar beets or palm/vegetable oils,
particularly i sugarcane bagasse (the letover
husk rom juice extraction) is used to produceheat and power or the process. Furthermore,
i bio-uels are used or crop production and
transport, the ossil energy input needed or
each ethanol energy unit can be very low.
Bagasse Applications
Sugarcane is one o the plants with the
highest bioconversion eciency. The plant
is able to eciently utilize solar energy,
yielding some 55 tons o dry matter per
hectare o land annually. Ater the harvest,
the crop produces sugar juice and bagasse
the brous dry matter that remains ater the
juice is extracted rom the sugarcane. This
dry matter is biomass with potential as uel
or energy production. With the use o latest
technologies, bagasse produced annually in
Brazil has the potential to meet 20 percent o
Brazils energy consumption by 2020.8
Electricity Production
A number o countries, in particular those
lacking ossil uels, have implemented energy
conservation and eciency measures to
minimize the use o cogenerated energy(steam and electricity) in sugarcane
processing and to export excess electricity to
the grid. Current technologies, such as those
in use in Mauritius, produce over 100 KWh per
ton o bagasse.9 More recent cogeneration
technology plants are being designed to
produce rom 200 to over 300 KWh per ton
o bagasse. As the sugarcane crop is seasonal,
power plants relying on bagasse would need
to manage storage throughout the year.
iV. sTudY MeTHodologY
For the purpose o the task and risk mapping,
a act-nding approach involving visits to
various sugarcane producing regions, mills
and arms was undertaken. Relevant local
people and ocials were interviewed (Annex
II). The questions posed were mostly open-
ended, keeping in mind the supply chainreview and the various FLA Code o Conduct
elements that needed to be observed.
8 .busiessire.com/es/ome/20091214005749/e/Cetre-
novozmes-Biogas-Eectricit-Bagasse
9 Bagassecouldmeetasignicantportionofruralelectricityneedsin
Idia.
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Certain challenges arose during the mapping
study, as described below. The approach to
data collection was adapted accordingly.
Sugarcanebeingalong-durationcrop,
dierent processes are carried out
throughout the year. As the eld visitsoccurred during two months (February-
March), only certain aspects o the
production were observed. In North India,
the process o sowing could be observed
as it was occurring at the time o the visit;
in the South, however, sowing is done
in July-October and thereore could not
be observed during the eld visits. The
observations made in the task and risk
mapping section are thereore based ona combination o actual observations and
inormation collected during interviews.
Inspiteofconrmedappointments,some
interviewees were not available at the
scheduled time and considerable time
was spent waiting or them. This was
mostly the case in sugar mills as sta
were unwilling to engage in discussions
until senior management (Chairman or
Managing Director) arrived.
Insomeareas,farmswerelocated2-3
hours rom the sugar mills. Due to high
daytime temperatures in South India,
most arm work is carried out early in
the morning or late in the aternoon.
Thereore, interviews conducted during
the day with armers, workers, and
village-level stakeholders were held in the
village and not necessarily at the arms
while they were working.
DuetoAssemblyElectionsinUttar
Pradesh on March 4, 2012, some o the
armers who conrmed their availability
or interviews could not be contacted
on the day o the visit. The activities on
the arms were also postponed. Hence
neighboring arms were visited and
workers were interviewed.
4.1 assessMenT TeaM
The assessment team was commissionedby FLA and included an independent
external expert with more than 20 years o
experience in the agriculture sector (mainly
sugarcane) and various persons rom local
civil society organizations (listed in Annex
II). Representatives were selected rom the
respective states visited during the study.
The regional experts were selected based
on their knowledge o the region, sugarcane
cultivation, relationships with local armersand sugar mill ocials, and language
capabilities. The regional experts were
brieed about the study goals and interview
techniques beore data collection. The FLA
Director o Agriculture and Strategic Projects
supervised the study and report writing.
4.2 assessMenT sTages
Due to dierences in climatic conditions
between North and South India, sugarcane
cultivation practices dier in the two regions.
Sugarcane is a long-duration crop, with a
12-14 month cycle in the North and a 14-18
month cycle in the South. While sowing in the
North is done in February-March, in the South
the sowing period lasts rom July to October.
However, the harvesting in both regions
starts at the end o October and continues
until April-May. Thereore, it was important to
schedule the visits in February-March in orderto cover the main processes o cultivation, i.e.
sowing and harvesting. The entire assessment
took place rom February to April 2012, and
was divided into the ollowing stages (Table
2):
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Table 2: assessmenT sTages
STAGES TIME PERIOD (2012) ASSESSMEnT TEAM MEMBER(S) COnTEnT AnD OBJECTIVES
dkt Februar 1 15 FlA- commissioed expert
Researc o sugarcae soig ad
arvestig i nort ad Sout Idia. Based
onthisresearch,vesugarcane-producingregios (states) ere seected for mappig. A
or-pa as submitted to te FlA Director
of Agricuture for approva.
pt Februar- Marc FlA-commissioed expert
Coectio of data from te Miistr of
Agricuture ad procuremet of reevat
researc materia. Oie researc coducted
to ocate oca CSOs i te sugarcae groig
regionsofthevestates.TheselectedCSOs
ere cotacted to scedue te visits to
coicide it te arvestig ad/or soig
seaso of sugarcae i te respective districts
of seected states.
mk tt wt
csoFebruar-Marc FlA-commissioed expert
Commuicatios ed it severa district-eve CSOs i order to uderstad teir
experienceintheeldandnalizeasuitable
timeforeldvisits.
itw wt tk-
t
t
Februar MarcFlA-commissioed expert ad oca CSO
member
Itervies ed it sma, medium ad
arge farm oers, cotractors, oca ad
migrat abor, sugar factor maagemet,
staffandGovt.ofcialstounderstand
te supp cai, te riss ivoved, te
caeges faced b te staeoders, ad
govermet poicies. Researcers deveoped
a better uderstadig of strategies used
b sugarcae suppiers ad existig sugar
procuremet poicies.
Assessment feld visits
t tFebruar- Marc
FlA-commissioed expert ad oca CSO
members
Itervies ed it staeoders,
govermeta istitutios ad reated
orgaizatios i te states of Uttaraad,
Uttar Prades, Gujarat, Maarastra ad
karataa, accompaied b oca CSOs of
te seected districts of eac state. Te visits
to sugar factories ad some farms ere
aouced, ie visits to some farmers
ad orers ere uaouced. Give te
reatiosip betee te accompaig
CSOs, a staeoders exteded fu support
ad cooperatio.
Debriefng Februar-Marc FlA-commissioed expert ad oca CSO
Adebriengsessionwasheldwiththe
accompaig CSO members to revie,
analyzeandnalizethendings.
rt Wt Apri-Ma FlA-commissioed expertAasis of a te documets ad coected
data ad compiatio of te report.
dt rt
sMa FlA-commissioed expert
Submissio of te draft report it reevat
iformatio, refereces, maps, tabes ad
potograps to te FlA for feedbac ad
furtherrenement.
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4.3 aReas coVeRed and infoRMaTion
gaTHeRing
Inormation was collected mainly through
interviews with stakeholders involved at
various stages o the supply chain. Data was
collected by visiting ve prominent sugarcaneproducing states in India: Uttarakhand, Uttar
Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
In those ve states, 11 sugarcane or sugar-
producing regions were visited. The regions
(Udham Singh Nagar, Pilibhit, Lakhimpur
Kheri, Tapi, Surat, Satara, Sangli, Belgaum,
Bhuinj, Pune and Mysore) are depicted in
Figure 2, along with the major cities near
those regions (New Delhi, Bengaluru).
A total o 91 interviews were conducted
during the study, which included interviews
with 34 actory managers and sta at 10
sugar mills; sta rom 7 national and regional
civil society organizations; 13 national and
regional Government ocials; 11 labor
contractors; 18 sugarcane armers; and 8
workers rom sugarcane arms. A total o
21 sugarcane arms were visited during the
course o the study. Annex II provides details
o the interviews conducted with the various
stakeholders involved in the sugarcane supply
chain in all ve states.
Figure 2. Field Study Areas and Sugar
Producing Regions in India10
10 Atas of Sugar Mis i Idia, August 2011, ISMA.
Figure 2: Field Study Areas and Sugar Producing Regions in India10
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V. findings
5.1 sugaRcane culTiVaTion in india
Sugarcane occupies about 3 percent o the
total cultivated area in India and it is one o
the most important cash crops, contributingabout 7.5 percent o the gross value o
agricultural production in the country. It
is the primary raw material or all major
sweeteners produced in the country. At
present, sugarcane is cultivated throughout
the country except in certain hilly tracts in
Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh (Figure 2).
The sugarcane growing areas may be broadly
classied into two agro-climatic regions:
sub-tropical (North India) and tropical (SouthIndia). Major portions o sugarcane cultivation
in India occur in the sub-tropical belt: Uttar
Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Bihar are important
cane growing states in this region. The
armers in Punjab and Haryana are shiting
rom sugarcane to shorter duration crops. As
a result, the area utilized or sugarcane has
decreased in the last ve years. Sugarcane
is also grown in a ew pockets in Madhya
Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Assam,but productivity in these states is quite low.
Sugarcane is grown extensively in the tropical
belt, including the states o Maharashtra,
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and
Gujarat. Since sugarcane is a tropical crop,
these states have avorable agro-climatic11
conditions or its growth. Sugarcane yields
are substantially higher in the tropical belt
11 Accordig to te itervieed civi societ orgaizatios, scarcit of
freshwaterisaffectingtheproductivityandprotabilityofsugarcane
groers ad miers i Idia. Approximate 25,000 iters of ater is
eeded to produce 100 iograms of sugarcae. Uess sugarcae
farmers are itroduced to e metods for producig iger ieds
usig muc ess ater (e.g., b usig drip irrigatio) te coutr i
nditdifculttomeetthegrowingdemandforsugar.Thewatertableis
depetig ever ear. I te future, tese caeges i become eve
more compex it cimate cage iducig direct ad idirect effects
o crops, ater, pests ad diseases, ad voatiit i te iteratioa
maret.
compared to the sub-tropical regions, and
the sugar recovery is also higher than in the
other regions. Higher yields are attributed
to a longer-duration crop; a high-yielding,
disease-resistant variety o seeds; avorable
climatic conditions; better irrigation acilities;11
and good soil quality, which is ideal or
sugarcane cultivation. Higher recovery o
sugar is attributed to a longer-duration crop
and sowing o varieties containing high
levels o sucrose. Another major actor or
higher recovery is the quicker transportation
o harvested sugarcane to the actories in
the South, as compared to the North. The
availability o a sucient quantity o good
quality sugarcane is an important pre-
requisite or a sugar mill to be economically
viable. The cost o transportation and
deterioration in quality increases signicantly
with the distance o the mills rom where
sugarcane is procured.
Sugarcane and sugar production in India is
shown in Table 3.12 Sugarcane production
in 2010-2011 has been estimated at over
340 million metric tons, with most o the
sugarcane destined or sugar production atone o the countrys mills.13 O the estimated
12 Trade ad Idustr Sources
13 Aroud 30 percet of te sugarcae produced i Idia is for maig
gur (aso caed jagger) ad adsari, to oca sugar products
eate b te rura popuatio ad for fres juice sod to cosumers.
Te maufacture ofgur ad kadsari is predomiat i karataa,
TamilNaduandUttarPradesh;signicantquantitiesarealsoproduced
i Adra Prades, haraa ad Pujab. Tese items are produced i
sma viage-eve set-ups caed crusers ad ot i sugar mis.
Table 3: sugarcane and sugar producTion
in india 2010-2011
TITlE 2010-2011 2011-2012*
Area (miio ectares) 4.98 5.47
Cae productio (miio tos) 346.00 380.00
Sugar productio (miio tos) 24.20-24.50 26.00-26.50
* Figures for 2011-2012 are unofcial estimates as the crop is still in planting stage
Source: Trade and Industry Sources
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24 million tons o sugar produced in 2010-14
2011, India exported about 3.61 million tons15
(around 14 percent o its production). India16
is the second-largest producer o sugar in
the world and is the biggest consumer o
sugar domestically (22 million tons in 2011).
In 2012, it is estimated that India will produce
about 26-26.5 million tons o sugar. Table 4
provides details o the total area cultivated
and output o sugar by state.
14ha = hectare
15 la = 100,000
16 MT = Metric To
Data in Table 4 show that sugarcane yields
vary signicantly across states. The variety
o sugarcane that is cultivated aects yields.
Various experiments conducted under the All
India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP)17
have developed high-yield varieties o
sugarcane suitable to be grown under specic
climatic conditions. There is an urgent need
or replacement o existing varieties with
more productive ones.18
17 .iisr.ic.i/aicrp.tm
18 Miistr of Cosumer Affairs, Food ad Pubic Distributio
http://dfpd.nic.in/?q=node/254
*Other states include Assam, Goa, Kerela, Nagaland, Orrisa, West Bengal and the Union Territories of Dadar and Nagar Havel
Source: Atlas of Sugar Mills in India, August 2011, ISMA.
Table 4: ToTal area culTivaTed and ouTpuT of sugar, by sTaTes
indian sugar indusTry- highlighTs (season 2009-10)
STATECAnE AREA (000
hA )14
CAnE
PRODUCTIOn
(lAkh15 MT 16)
CAnE yIElD
MT/hA
nO. OF
wORkInG MIllS
CAnE CRUShED
(lAkh MT)
SUGAR
PRODUCTIOn
(lAkh MT)
SUGAR
RECOVERy %
AVERAGE
SEASOn DAyS
Adra Prades 158 117 74 35 55.47 5.15 9.28 63
Assam 27 11 39 See oter states See oter states See oter states See oter states See oter states
Biar 116 50 43 9 27.24 2.58 9.49 66
Gujarat 154 124 81 18 112.95 11.89 10.53 151
haraa 74 53 72 14 26.48 2.48 9.37 59
karataa 337 304 90 54 239.77 25.58 10.67 127
keraa 3 3 95 See oter states
Mada Prades
& Catisgar
62 25 41 14 9.63 0.8 9.22 47
Maarastra 756 642 85 143 613.9 70.67 11.51 143
Orissa 8 5 61 See oter states See oter states See oter states See oter states See oter states
Pujab 60 37 62 15 21.12 1.81 8.59 54
Rajasta 6 3 57 1 0.48 0.04 7.8 60
Tami nadu &
Puducerr293 297 101 42 145.52 12.99 8.93 145
Uttar Prades 1,977 1,171 59 128 567.34 51.79 9.13 84
Uttaraad 96 58 61 10 31.74 2.92 9.19 86
Oter states* 48 23 36 7 3.84 0.42 8.8 40
Tt 4,175 2,923 70 490 1,855.48 189.12 10.19 109
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Despite industry eorts, sugarcane yield
and sugar content have not improved
signicantly in the past three years. Thereore,
the government and industry are debating
whether the sugar industry should continue
to depend on one input crop (sugarcane)
or explore the use o other alternate raw
materials, such as sugar beets. Recent studies
have shown that it is possible to cultivate
sugar beets in tropical conditions and that
using sugar beets as raw materials can aect
industry economics. According to the Ministry
o Consumer Aairs and Food Distribution,
sugar beets can complement sugarcane to
extend the duration o the crushing season
and also to enhance sugar yields. Another
input crop could be sweet sorghum; sweet
sorghum can be processed alongside
sugarcane or sugar beet to produce ethanol.
Thereore, a combination o sugarcane, sugar
beet and sweet sorghum inputs could help
the sugar industry develop the right product
mix and achieve commercial sustainability.
Sugarcane production in India involves many
stakeholders along the supply chain rom
the government, industry and NGOs. Figure
3 illustrates the stakeholder map and the
relationships between dierent actors.
The activities o the dierent stakeholders are
explained in detail in the ollowing sections.
Figure 3: Stakeholder Map o Sugarcane Supply Chain in India
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5.2 goVeRnMenT RegulaTions foR THe
sugaRcane indusTRY
Sugar is one o the commodities listed in the
Essential Commodities Act 1955.19 The Indian
government comprehensively regulates the
purchase o sugarcane and sale o sugar.Regulations are applied along the entire
value chain, including land demarcation,
sugarcane procurement, sugarcane price,
sugar production and sugar sales by mills
in domestic and international markets.20
The Central Government sets out the Fair
Remunerative Price (FRP) or sugarcane at
the beginning o each season. Some o the
states set out their Statutory Advisory Price
(SAP), which is above the FRP. The SupremeCourt has ruled that it is mandatory or sugar
mills to procure sugar cane at these prices.21
SAP is prescribed in ve states in India.
The Ministry o Consumer Aairs, Food
and Public Distribution sets out the FRP.
For the sugar season 2011-12, the FRP is set
at Rs.1450 per ton, linked to a 9.5 percent
recovery level, with an increase o INR1.53
or every 0.1 percentage point increase in the
recovery above 9.5 percent. In the currentseason, while the states o Uttarakhand and
Uttar Pradesh are paying INR 2400-2450 per
ton or general sugarcane varieties and INR
2500-2550 per ton or early varieties (which
mature earlier in the season), the rates in
South India are lower by INR100-150 per ton.
Low sugarcane prices and pending arrears
payments22 - estimated at INR 2270 million
or the year 2010-11 - are major reasons or
armers agitation.
19 seedet.gov.i/.../Essetia_Commodit_Act_1955(no_10_
of_1955).
20 ISMA Idia Sugar year Boo 2004-05.
21 ttp://artices.ecoomictimes.idiatimes.com/eord/sugarcae/
featured/2
22 Arrears pamets are pamets tat eed to be paid b sugar mis
to farmers agaist sugarcae procured i te previous seaso or i
previous mots of te curret seaso.
The State Sugarcane Department demarcates
the sugarcane supply area or each
sugar mill; mills are required to procure
sugarcane rom the command area at the
government-declared rates. The actories
cannot procure rom areas outside their
command area without prior approval o
the State Government. There are currently
566 sugar mills operating in India, most o
which are located in the vicinity o sugarcane
production areas to reduce transportation
costs and to retain quality. The catchment
area o each sugar mill consists o many
thousands o arms including very small
arms located in a 25-50 kilometers radius
(sometimes extending up to 80 kms based
on the number o arms and number o sugarmills present in the area).
The Government regulates sugar supplies in
all private, public or co-operative sugar mills.
It is mandatory or every actory to supply 10
percent o its production to the government
at the Levy Price23 set by the Central
Government. The remaining production is
sold in the open market against the release
o quota by the government. The sugar mill
can sell a xed quantity o sugar, or quota,
in the market. This quantity is based on the
production capacity o the sugar mill and
is released periodically by the government.
The main purpose behind this regulation is
to keep control o the sugar stocks and to
regulate its Market Retail Price (MRP).
5.3 sugaRcane faRMs in india
Sugarcane production in India supports 50million armers and their amilies.24 Sugar
actories are considered to be welare
centers in rural areas, as they give scope or
establishment o educational institutions,
23 .ivemit.com/2012/01/30211021/Govt-ies-ev-sugar-
prices-b.tm
24 ISMA Idia Sugar year Boo 2004-05.
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hospitals, communication, transportation
acilities, etc. Three types o armers grow
sugarcane in India. Marginal and small armers
grow sugarcane on less than 2 hectares o
land and mostly employ amily members or
production processes. Medium-size armers
grow sugarcane on about 2-10 hectares o
land and employ hired labor or production
processes such as tilling, land preparation,
weeding, sowing and harvesting. Large
armers grow sugarcane on more than 50
hectares o land.25 Most o the arming is
mechanized on the large arms due to the
volume o work. Medium and large arms
generally have some (1-10) permanent
workers, depending upon the size o the
arms. During the peak production period,additional workers are hired on a daily or
piece rate basis. In North India, most arms
are small to medium-size; large arms are
located in the Terai belt o Uttarakhand.
Farms o all sizes are present in South India
(mainly Maharashtra).
5.4 laboR pRofile and RecRuiTMenT
Medium and large-size armers employhired labor or sugarcane production. The
labor is typically hired through a third-
party contractor who sources workers rom
adjoining districts and even neighboring
states. This contractor is generally a member
o the village community back home. One
person in one village acts as the contractor o
the workers. The laborers arrive at the arms
with their amilies and work or eight months.
The children who come with their amilies
also work on the arms. They usually work
alongside in sowing, carrying the seedlings
rom the trolley to the urrows, weeding and
harvesting activities. Other tasks in sugarcane
25 ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/005/ac484e/ac484e00.pdf
production require an adult, as the sugarcane
is a bulky and heavy crop to handle. There
is no specialized production processes
(such as hybridization or seed crops) with
high labor requirements. The wages paid to
workers are generally below the minimum
wage as prescribed by the government
or the agriculture sector. Payments to the
workers are usually made ater the harvest
is over, the sugarcane has been supplied to
the mills, and the armers have received their
payments. The workers usually reside at the
arms, where a member o the group cooks
or the other workers while they work. There
is no documentation o any kind at the arms
or either the workers or contractors. During
the rainy season (JulySeptember), whenthere is limited work, the workers go back to
their native places.
5.5 indian laws and legislaTion foR
THe agRiculTuRe secToR
Although Indian labor laws are
comprehensive, there is general lack o
implementation and proper labor inspection
across unorganized sectors, especiallyin agricultural arms. The majority o the
armers are small landowners with a very
small hired workorce; thereore, in many
cases local labor laws do not apply. In recent
years, the government has made some
eorts to develop specic legislation or the
agriculture sector, e.g., setting out minimum
wages and minimum age o work. Overall,
implementation o labor laws and monitoring
by the government or by the private sector is
weak. A description and list o applicable laws
can be ound in Annex 1.
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5.6 sugaRcane pRoducTion and
supplY pRocess
The planting o a new crop takes place in
February-March in North India and July-
October in South India. The season lasts
about 14-18 months, wherein two crops
o sugarcane are harvested. The secondharvest o the crop has a smaller yield
compared to the rst harvest.26 The yields are
approximately 50 tons per hectare or the
rst harvest, and 45 tons per hectare or the
second harvest. Figure 4 presents the crop
calendar o sugarcane in India.
The various processes involved in the
production o sugarcane are listed below.
5.6.1 Sowing
Sugarcane sowing in North India starts rom
the second week o February and continues
until the end o March. Small armers hire
a tractor or use their own ox or ploughing
and preparing the land or sowing. Sowing
is done manually and mostly involves amily
26 Ratua or ratoo is a e soot or sprout sprigig from te base of
a sugarcae pat after croppig.
members. The armers amilies work on
the arm, as hiring o contractors/ labor is
expensive. During the sowing period, which
may last 1-2 days, the children o the amily
do not attend school. Instead, they assist their
parents in the various operations o sowing.
The medium and large-sized armers hirecontractors rom their own or near-by
villages, who bring workers (perhaps their
own amilies and relatives) who stay at the
arm until the sowing is completed. The
armers pay the contractors INR 2000-
2200 per acre; payable ater the sowing
is completed. During eld visits it was
observed that child labor is oten used
by the contractors or light work, such as
transportation o sugarcane setts to theurrows, and in some cases also or dangerous
tasks such as cutting sugarcane into setts
with the use o machetes. Older children are
engaged or dropping the sugarcane rom
the trolleys to the elds. While the setts are
being dropped in the urrows, a basal dose o
ertilizers and pesticides is applied manually
by a person walking behind the tractor. The
Figure 4: Crop Calendar o Sugarcane in India
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task o applying ertilizers is dangerous; it is
risky to walk on uneven soil behind the sharp-
edged agricultural implements and hazardous
because no personal protective equipment
(PPE) is used while mixing and applying
pesticides and ertilizers. The majority o the
armers are uninormed about the proper use
o PPE. During interviews with the armers,
it was observed that even educated armers
do not use PPE because they consider it an
additional cost.
5.6.2 Irrigation
Germination o sugarcane begins 2-3 weeks
ater sowing. On small arms, amily members
are usually involved in irrigation o the
elds, while medium and large armers usetheir permanent workers or hire daily-wage
workers. Depending on the weather and
the soil condition, watering is done every
40-45 days until harvest. It was observed
during interviews that neither the permanent
workers nor the daily-wage workers are
paid minimum wages during irrigation. No
children were seen participating in irrigation
during arm visits. Oten, watering during the
summer is done at night in rural areas due tothe availability o electricity used to run water
pumps. There are risks posed by a lack o
adequate lighting on the arms; working in the
elds at night exposes the workers to snakes
and wild animals.
5.6.3 Fertilizer and Pesticide Application
A ew days ater the rst irrigation, the
rst top dressing o ertilizer is applied,
generally through broadcasting. Weedicides
are simultaneously mixed with pesticides
and sprayed throughout the entire eld.
The process is repeated ater two months.
Spraying pesticides and weedicides without
using PPE is hazardous, and the workers
are mostly unaware o potential harms and
proper use o PPE. Children typically are not
engaged in chemical application.
5.6.4 Harvesting, Bundling, Loading and
Transportation to Sugarcane Centers
Sugar actories become operational in mid-
October and continue to operate until March
or April, depending upon the availability o
sugarcane. In July-August, the sugar actories
conduct a survey o the sugarcane area
allotted to them by the State Sugarcane
Commissioner. They then prepare a plan
(quota) o sugarcane to be supplied by each
grower. The quantity o sugarcane supplied
by each grower is distributed over the entire
crushing season and supply tokens are
issued accordingly. The sugar mills operate
through collection centers that they open at
various places within their command area.
These centers issue a slip (parchi) to the
armers that prescribes the dates when their
sugarcane will be weighed. The sugarcane
is usually harvested a day beore it is to be
supplied to the centers so that it does not
lose its moisture content and weighs more
so as to maximize prots. To accomplish this,
workers work round the clock to harvest the
sugarcane rom the arms.
While small armers involve their amily inharvesting and transporting the sugarcane
to the collection centers, the medium and
large armers hire contractors who bring labor
either rom the nearby villages or arrange
migrant workers. The migrants amilies,
including children, are involved in harvesting,
bundling and loading. It was noticed during
interviews that the workers are paid between
INR 150-180 per ton o sugarcane harvested.
Harvesting is a hazardous task, as it involves
the use o machetes without any protection.
Moreover, workers oten work without shoes
in the elds, exposing them to risks o snake
and scorpion bites. The armer and/or his
driver attaches the loaded trolley behind
the tractor and erries it to the designated
sugarcane center.
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The administrator at the sugarcane
production center weighs the sugarcane and
issues a slip recording the total net weight
supplied by the armer. The sugarcane is then
loaded onto trucks by the contracted labor o
the sugar mill. The loading contractor is paid
INR 20 per ton. Loading is a dangerous task,
and accidents are requent. Chopping loaded
sugarcane so that it ts better on the trolleys
or trucks has its own risks. The transporter,
who is paid INR 100-150 per ton, depending
upon the distance, transports sugarcane rom
the center to the sugar mill. The drivers o the
trucks are always at risk, as most o the trucks
are over-loaded and oten topple due to poor
road conditions. Payment to the armer is
generally made a month ater the sugarcanehas been supplied. The armer produces his
supply slip at the payment counter o the mill
and, ater verication, payment is made at the
declared rate.
5.6.5 Unloading Sugarcane at Sugar Mill
Sugarcane arrives at a sugar actory in
bullock-carts, tractor-driven trolleys ortrucks. Ater the gate-entry is completed,
the sugarcane is weighed at the weighbridge
and placed near the loading conveyor under
the punja, a mechanical device controlled
by a manually operated over-head crane that
grips the sugarcane and releases it onto the
conveyor. Another method or unloading the
sugarcane is by manually tying a steel rope
around the bundles o sugarcane and hauling
the bundles by the over-head crane onto theconveyor.
PhASE OF PRODUCTIOn TASkS/ACTIVITIES SkIllS REqUIREDROlE OF ChIlDREn, yOUTh AnD ADUlTS AnD
ASSOCIATED RISkS
1. lad preparatio
(Jauar
Februar)
Ploughingtoloosenthesoiltoadepth
of 18-24 ices ad destro eeds,
grasses ad roots of te recet
arvested crop.
Useoftractorsbymediumandlargefarmers, ad ox or buffao b sma
farmers.
Afterproperploughing,planking
(leveling)isdonetoclosetheeld
ad retai its moisture uti te time
of soig.
Sowingisnormallydonetwo-three
ees after pougig, depedig
o te eater coditios, ad
avaiabiit of seeds, fertiizers,
equipmentandlabor.Hoesareused
for maua soig.
Knowledgeofhandling,maintenance
ad repair of tractors, ad agricutura
equipment.
Knowledgeofharnessingdraught
aimas.
Knowledgeofcontouringofland
for proper draiage ad to prevet
ateroggig ad soi erosio.
Knowledgeofgoodseeds,correct
use of fertiizer ad oedge of
eater patters.
Childrenandwomendonotgenerally
pa a roe i te preparatio of
ad. Te sma farmers prepare te
ad temseves it te ep of
ox or buffao. hadig aimas is
dangerousattimesastheyarequite
upredictabe.
Smallandmedium-sizefarmerscan
aso ire tractors, drive b sied
drivers, to prepare te ad ad
pa te estabised rate per acre.
Caces of accidet ad ijur are
commo ie adig macier or
tractorequipment.
Marginalfarmersoftendrivetheirown
tractors to prepare ad for soig.
Somemediumandlargefarmers
empo drivers to operate teir
tractors. hig possibiit of accidetie drivig te tractor. Abseteeism
of driver coud cause dea i ad
preparatio.
5.7 Task and Risk Mapping of sugaRcane pRoducTion in noRTH india
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Task and Risk Mapping of sugaRcane pRoducTion in india
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PhASE OF PRODUCTIOn TASkS/ACTIVITIES SkIllS REqUIREDROlE OF ChIlDREn, yOUTh AnD ADUlTS AnD
ASSOCIATED RISkS
2. Patig seeds
(Februar
Marc)
Harrowingtheeldwithtractor,
buffao or ox ad maig furros.
Droppingsetts(sugar-caneseeds)
troug seed dri or maua i
sige or doube ros.
Anexperiencedpersonwhocan
mae furros i proper ros it te
ridger attaced beid te tractor.
Askillfulpersonwhocanharnessthe
draugt aima to mae furros.
Knowledgeofgoodqualityseeds.
Skillincuttingsettsofpropersizefor
seed patig.
Familiesofsmallholdingsareinvolved
i compete soig activities.
Soig is give to a cotractor o a
estabised rate per acre. he egages
is fami members ad reatives/
eigbors. hirig ome ad cidreis ver commo.
Childrenareexposedtogreatrisks
ie cuttig seeds it macetes.
Riskofheat,dehydrationand
exposure to su.
3. Fertiizer
appicatio
(Februar
Marc)
Basa Dose
(Ma-Jue)
Top Dressig(August-
September)
Secod Dose
(november
December)
Tird Dose
(optioa)
Basaldoseoffertilizersand
cemicas appied troug a seed-dri
or maua.
Differentkindsoffertilizersaremixed
ontheeldandlledinindividual
bags for broadcastig.
Plankingisdoneimmediatelyto prevet seed damage due to
exposure to eat or cod.
Fertilizersfortopdressingsarealso
prepared simiar.
Knowledgeoffertilizers,pesticides
ad isecticides is ver importat.
Skillinoperatingaseed-drillattached
to te tractor.
Fertilizermixingandbroadcasting
requirespropertechnique.
Childrenandwomenarenot
egaged i broadcastig fertiizers
or operatig seed-dris; oever,
oug orers are at times egaged
i te operatios, Teir age caot
be ascertaied as tere are o
documets avaiabe to substatiate.
Operatorsgetinjuredwhilehandling
seed-dris
Mixingandbroadcastingfertilizers
itout usig PPE is azardous to
eat.
Exposuretosunisahealthhazard.
Weightofbagscausesstrainon
souders ad bac.
4. Irrigatio
1st aterig
(Apri-Ma)
2d aterig
(Ju- August)
(rais
suppemet)
3rd aterig
(September-
October)
(Mosoo
suppemet
partia)
(December-
Jauar)
4t aterig for
ate arvestig
Irrigatingeitherthroughcanalortube-
e bore.
Monitoringavailabilityofcanalwater.
Repairingtube-wellmotorandpump.
Arrangingdieselfortherunningof
fue-ru tube-es.
Repairingtractors.
Requestingruralelectricity
departmet for supp of eectricit for
eectrica operated pumps.
Makingtemporarydrainsandcheck-
as for caeizig ater usig
oes.
Knowledgeofoperatingtube-well.
Knowledgeofplumbing.
Knowledgeofelectricalrepairs.
Knowledgeofrepairsand
maiteace of pumps.
Knowledgeofoperatingtractors.
Drainingexcesswater.
Childrenandwomengenerallyarenot
ivoved i tese activities. hoever,
oug orers are at times egaged
i te operatios; teir age caot
be ascertaied, as tere are odocumets avaiabe to substatiate.
Riskofelectricshockswhenworking
aroud ater ad eectricit.
Drinkinggroundwaterwithout
treatmet.
Wateringtheelds,especiallyat
igt, exposes orers to te ris of
sae ad scorpio bites ad id
aimas.
Riskofheat,dehydrationand
exposure to su.
Riskofgettinginjuredwhileworking
it a oe.
Blistersonpalmsasaresultof
cotiuous use of oe.
Strainonbackandshouldersfrom
usig oe.
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Task and Risk Mapping of sugaRcane pRoducTion in india
www.fairlabor.org
PhASE OF PRODUCTIOn TASkS/ACTIVITIES SkIllS REqUIREDROlE OF ChIlDREn, yOUTh AnD ADUlTS AnD
ASSOCIATED RISkS
5. Rougig/
had-eedig
(Jue-August)
Removalofgrassandweedsby
ad.
Cuttingunwantedweedsandgrasses
it sices.
Peeling-offunwantedweedsandgrasses it oes.
Knowledgeofunwantedgrassesand
eeds.
Usingsicklesandhoes.
Children,women,andyoung
orers are geera egaged i
tis operatio, but teir age caot
be ascertaied as tere are o
documets avaiabe to substatiate.
Usingsicklesandhoescancause
ijuries.
Walkingbare-feetexposesworkersto
sae ad scorpio bites.
Exposuretoheatandsun.
6. Tig peripera
ros of
sugarcae
(Ju-September)
Assugarcanegainsheight,the
peripera ros are tied; oterise i
aterogged areas, sugarcae toppes
eve it a gete breeze.
Tyingthesugarcaneatthe
appropriate eigt.
Decidingthenumberofcanesthat
eed to be tied togeter.
Onlyadultworkersareengaged.
Oftenstoolsandladdersareusedfor
tig at iger eves.
Dangeroffallingoffthestoolsor
adders.
Handsandlegsgetcutbyrazor-sharp
eaves of sugarcae.
Exposuretosnakebites,scorpion
bitesandinsectsintheelds.
Exposuretoheatandsun.
7. harvestig Ratua
or Ratoo
(October-
november)
Pat
(December-
Marc)
Harvestinginsmalllandholdings
doe maua b fami members.
Harvestinginmediumandlargeland
odigs doe geera b cotract
abor.
Daily-wageworkersdoharvestingin
some cases.
Sugarcaneisrstcutwiththe
macete just above te surface of tesoi.
Sugarcaneisthencleanedwith
sices.
Cleanedsugarcaneistiedinbundles.
Greenstalksofsugarcanearetied
ad tae b orers for teir catte.
Bundledsugarcaneisloadedontothe
tractor-drive troes or buoc-carts.
Cuttingsugarcanebymachetesatthe
base just above te surface of te soi
is a speciaized job.
Skilledworkerisabletocutenough
sugarcae for ceaig b oter
orers.
Tyingsugarcaneneatlyinbundles
requiresskill.
Deftlyloadingbundlesofsugarcaneoto troes/buoc carts for
eigig.
Adultmaleworkersharvest
sugarcae. hoever, femae ad
oug orers ad eve cidre
ave bee spotted arvestig
sugarcae.
Men,women,youngworkersand
cidre cea sugarcae it sices.
Men,womenandyoungworkers
mae sugarcae budes ad oad
tem o troes ad buoc-carts.
Usingmachetesandsicklescanlead
to severe cuts.
BundlingandloadingwithoutPPE
ca cause ijur.
Workinginsugarcaneeldsexposes
to saebites, scorpio bites, isect-
bites.
Exposuretoheat,sun,fog,frost,cold
ad rai.
Blistersonthepalms.
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Task and Risk Mapping of sugaRcane pRoducTion in india
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PhASE OF PRODUCTIOn TASkS/ACTIVITIES SkIllS REqUIREDROlE OF ChIlDREn, yOUTh AnD ADUlTS AnD
ASSOCIATED RISkS
8. Trasportig
sugarcae from
eldtosugarcane
ceter
(October-Marc)
Attachingloadedtrolleytotractor.
Attachingloadedcarttooxorbuffalo.
Transportingloadedtrolley/carttothe
sugarcae ceter.
Gettingloadedtrolleys/cartsweighed
o te eig-bridge.
Parkingweighedtrolleys/carts
aogside orries for trasfer of
sugarcae.
Gettingemptytrolleys/cartsweighed.
Collectingweighingslip.
Maintenanceofweighbridge.
Maintenanceoftractorandtrolley.
Operatingskillsfortractorandtrolley.
Maintenanceofcartandhandling
draugt aimas.
Operatingbullock-cart.
Checkingcorrectweighingoftrolley/
cart.
Crosscheckingweighingslip.
Adultworkersengagedinthe
operatio.
Duetouneveneldsandbadroads,
caces of oaded tractor-troe
toppig over.
Attimes,draughtanimalsget
ucotroabe.
Absenteeismoftractordriverdelays
te supp of sugarcae to te cae
ceter, reducig its eigt ad overa
quality,therebyaffectingtheincome
of te farmer. Exposure to eat, su,
fog, frost ad cod.
Nightdrivingtosugarcanecenteris
ris.
Correctreadingofweighbridgeand
eigig sip.
9. Trasportigsugarcae from
sugarcae ceter
to factor
(October-Marc)
Contractlabortransferssugarcane
from oaded troe/ buoc-cart to
orr.
Lorryproperlystackedformaximum
oad of sugarcae.
Lorryweighedattheweighbridge.
Lorrydrivercollectsdocuments
ad drives over-oaded orr from
sugarcae ceter to te sugar factor.
Maintenanceoflorry.
Maintenanceofweighbridge.
Expertinhandlingandloading
sugarcae.
Expertinmaximumloadingof
sugarcae i orr.
Expertintheuseofmachetes.
Maintenanceoflorry.
Cautiousindrivingover-loadedlorry
o bad roads troug viages.
Knowledgeofdirectandalternate
routes from sugarcae ceter to te
sugar mi.
Onlyadultmaleworkersengagedin
te operatios.
Goodlorrydriversfordrivingover-
oaded troes.
Contractworkersoftenconsume
acoo durig or, ic poses
riss for drivig.
Over-loadedlorriestendtotoppleat
te sigtest misbaace.
Workersexposedtoheat,sun,cold,
fog ad frost.
Loadinglorryaftersunsetisriskyas
tere are o igts.
Theftofsugarcanefromthe
sugarcae ceter.
Irregularityinweighingofsugarcane.
10. Uoadig at
sugar factor
(October-Marc)
Gateentryoflorryatthefactorygate.
Parkingundertheunloadingbay.
Grippingofsugarcanebygripper
beig operated b crae operator.
Releasingofsugarcaneontheloader
for sreddig.
Maintenanceofcraneandgripper.
Efcientandalertstaffatthefactory
gate.
Efcientsecuritypersonnelforquick
uoadig of sugarcae orries.
Expertcraneoperatorforquick
oadig of sugarcae oto te oader.
Adultmaleworkersareengagedfor
te operatio.
Educatedstaffattheweighingscale.
Movementofloadedandunloaded
orries aroud te oadig ba is ver
ris.
Craneoperatorisprecariously
situated atop te cabi (40-foot
eigt).
Freemovementofgrippercancause
serious ijur.
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Task and Risk Mapping of sugaRcane pRoducTion in india
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PhASE OF PRODUCTIOn TASkS/ACTIVITIES SkIllS REqUIREDROlE OF ChIlDREn, yOUTh AnD ADUlTS AnD
ASSOCIATED RISkS
1. lad preparatio
(AugustOctober)
Ploughingtoloosenthesoiltoadepth
of 18-24 ices ad destro eeds,
grasses ad roots of te recet-
arvested crop.
Useoftractorsbymediumandlarge
farmers, ad ox or buffao b sma
farmers.
Afterproperploughing,planking
(leveling)isdonetoclosetheeld
ad retai its moisture ti te time of
soig.
Sowingisnormallydonetwo-three
ees after pougig, depedig o
eater coditios ad avaiabiit
ofseeds,fertilizers,equipmentand
abor. hoes are used for maua
soig.
Knowledgeofhandling,maintenance
ad repair of tractors ad agricutura
equipment.
Knowledgeofharnessingdraughtaimas.
Knowledgeofcontouringoflandfor
proper draiage ad to prevet ater-
oggig ad soi erosio.
Knowledgeofgoodseeds,correct
use of fertiizer, ad eater patters.
Childrenandwomendonotgenerally
pa a roe i te preparatio of
ad. Te sma farmers prepare
te ad temseves it te ep
of ox or buffao. hadig aimas isdangerousattimesastheyarequite
upredictabe.
Smallandmedium-sizefarmerscan
aso ire tractors, drive b sied
drivers, to prepare te ad ad
pa te estabised rate per acre.
Caces of accidet ad ijur are
commo ie adig macier or
tractorequipment.
Medium-sizefarmersmayalsodrive
teir o tractors for preparig ad
for soig.
Mediumandlargefarmersemploy
drivers to operate teir tractors. hig
possibiit of accidet ie drivig te
tractor. Abseteeism b driver coud
cause dea i ad preparatio.
2. Patig seeds
(August-October)
Harrowingtheeldwithtractor,
buffao or ox ad maig furros.
Droppingsetts(sugarcaneseeds)
maua or troug seed dri i
sige or doube ros.
Anexperiencedpersonwhocan
mae furros i proper ros it te
ridger attaced beid te tractor.
Askillfulpersonwhocanharnessthe
draugt aima to mae furros.
Knowledgeofgoodqualityseed.
Skillincuttingsettsofpropersizefor
seed patig.
Familiesofsmallholdingsare
ivoved i soig activities.
Soig resposibiities aregive to
a cotractor o a estabised rate
per acre. he egages is fami
members, reatives ad eigbors.
hirig ome ad cidre is ver
commo.
Childrenareexposedtogreatrisks
ie cuttig seeds it macetes.
Riskofheat,dehydrationand
exposure to su.
3. Fertiizer
appicatio
(August-October)
Basa Dose
(October-
December)
Top Dressig
(August-September)
Secod Dose
(Jauar-
Februar)
Tird dose
(Apri-Ma)
Fourt dose,
optioa
(Ju-August)
Basaldoseoffertilizersand
cemicas appied troug a seed-dri
or maua.
Differentkindsoffertilizersaremixed
ontheeldandlledinindividual
bags for broad-castig.
Plankingisdoneimmediately
to prevet seed damage due to
exposure to eat or cod. Fertilizersfortop-dressingsarealso
prepared simiar.
Knowledgeoffertilizers,pesticides
ad isecticides is ver importat.
Skillinoperatingaseed-drillattached
to te tractor.
Fertilizermixingandbroad-casting
requirespropertechnique.
Childrenandwomenarenot
egaged i broadcastig fertiizers
or operatig seed-dris; oever,
oug orers are at times egaged
i te operatios. Teir age caot
be ascertaied as tere are o
documets avaiabe to substatiate.
Operatorsgetinjuredwhilehandling
seed-dris.
Mixingandbroadcastingfertilizers
itout usig PPE is azardous to
eat.
Exposuretosunisahealthhazard.
Weightofbagscausesstrainon
souder ad bac.
5.8 Task and Risk Mapping of sugaRcane pRoducTion in souTH india
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Task and Risk Mapping of sugaRcane pRoducTion in india
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PhASE OF PRODUCTIOn TASkS/ACTIVITIES SkIllS REqUIREDROlE OF ChIlDREn, yOUTh AnD ADUlTS AnD
ASSOCIATED RISkS
4. Irrigatio
1st aterig
(October-
november)
2d aterig(Jauar-
Februar)
3rd aterig
(Apri-Ma)
4t aterig, rai
suppemetig
(Ju-August)
5t aterig
(October-
november)
6t aterig, for
ate arvestig
(Jauar-
Februar)
Irrigatingeitherthroughcanalortube-
e bore.
Monitoringavailabilityofcanalwater.
Repairingtube-wellmotorandpump.
Arrangingdieselfortherunningof
fue-ru tube-es.
Repairingtractors.
Requestingruralelectricity
departmet for supp of eectricit to
operat pumps.
Makingtemporarydrainsandcheck-
as for caeizig ater-usig for
caeizig ater usig oes.
Knowledgeofoperatingtube-well.
Knowledgeofplumbing.
Knowledgeofelectricalrepairs.
Knowledgeofrepairsand
maiteace of pumps.
Knowledgeofoperatingtractors.
Drainingexcesswater.
Childrenandwomengenerallyarenot
ivoved i tese activities. hoever,
oug orers are at times egaged
i te operatios; teir age caot
be ascertaied, as tere are o
documets avaiabe to substatiate.
Riskofelectricshockswhenworking
aroud ater ad eectricit.
Drinkinggroundwaterwithout
treatmet.
Wateringtheelds,especiallyat
igt, exposes orers to te ris of
sae ad scorpio bites ad id
aimas.
Riskofheat,dehydration,and
exposure to su.
Riskofgettinginjuredwhileworking
it a oe.
Blistersonpalmsasaresultof
cotiuous use of oe.
Strainonbackandshouldersfrom
usig oe.
5. Rougig/
had-eedig
(november-
Jauar)
Removalofgrassandweedsby
ad.
Cuttingunwantedweedsandgrasses
it sices.
Peeling-offunwantedweedsand
grasses it oes.
Knowledgeofunwantedgrassesand
eeds.
Usingsicklesandhoes.
Children,womenandyoung
orers are at times egaged i
te operatios, but teir age caot
be ascertaied, as tere are o
documets avaiabe to substatiate.
Usingsicklesandhoescancause
ijuries.
Walkingwithoutshoesexposes
orers to saebites ad scorpiobites.
Exposuretoheatandsun.
6. Tig peripera
ros of
sugarcae
(December/
Jauar)
Peripheralrowsaretiedassugarcane
gais eigt; oterise, i ater-
ogged areas, sugarcae toppes
eve it a gete breeze.
Tyingthesugarcaneatthe
appropriate eigt.
Decidingthenumberofcanesthat
eed to be tied togeter.
Onlyadultworkersengaged.
Oftenstoolsandladdersareusedfor
tig at iger eves.
Dangeroffallingoffthestoolsor
adders.
Razor-sharpleavesofsugarcanecut
ads ad egs.
Exposuretosnakebites,scorpion
bitesandinsectsintheelds.
Exposuretoheatandsun.
http://applications/Adobe%20InDesign%20CS5.5/Adobe%20InDesign%20CS5.5.app/Contents/MacOS/cividep_draft.pdfhttp://applications/Adobe%20InDesign%20CS5.5/Adobe%20InDesign%20CS5.5.app/Contents/MacOS/cividep_draft.pdf8/22/2019 Sugarcane Production in India
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Task and Risk Mapping of sugaRcane pRoducTion in india
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PhASE OF PRODUCTIOn TASkS/ACTIVITIES SkIllS REqUIREDROlE OF ChIlDREn, yOUTh AnD ADUlTS AnD
ASSOCIATED RISkS
7. harvestig pat
(October-
Februar)
Ratua or Ratoon
(Marc-May)
Harvestinginsmalllandholdings
doe maua b fami members.
Contractorsarrangedbythesugar
factor, but paid b te farmers do
arvestig.
Sugarcaneisrstcutwiththe
macete just above te surface of te
soi.
Sugarcaneisthencleanedwith
sices.
Cleanedsugarcaneisthentiedin
budes.
Laddersforloadingsugarcaneon
orr.
OnlyinGujarattheeldisrstburnt
ad te arvested, but o budig is
doe ad oose sugarcae is oaded
i orries/buoc carts.
Greenstalksofsugarcanearetied
ad tae b orers to teir catte.
Bundledsugarcaneisloadedontothe
orr.
Lorrymaintenance.
Stayinginmake-shiftsheltersinthe
elds.
Cuttingsugarcanebymachetesatthe
base just above te surface of te soi
is a speciaized job.
Skilledworkerisabletocutenough
sugarcae for ceaig b oter
orers.
Tyingsugarcaneneatlyinbundles
requiresskill.
Deftlyloadingbundlesofsugarcane
oto orr.
Makingtemporarysheltersforthe
famiies.
Goodskillrequiredforwalkingupthe
adder it bude of sugarcae o
ead..
Men,women,youngworkersand
eve cidre arvest sugarcae.
Men,women,youngworkersand
cidre cea sugarcae it sices.
Maleandfemaleworkersmakebudes ad oad tem o orries ad
buoc-carts.
Usingmachetesandsicklescanlead
to severe cuts.
BundlingandloadingwithoutPPE
ca cause ijur.
Workinginsugarcaneeldsexposes
orers to saebites, scorpio bites,
isect bites.
Exposuretoheatandsun.
Burningeldssometimescauses
burs to te orer.
Sometimescaneissmolderingatthe
time of arvest, causig burs to te
orers.
Stayingintemporarysheltersexposes
orers to id aimas.
Havinginfantsandsmallchildrenin
arvestig areas is ver ris.
Makeshiftattachedkitchenalongside
eachshelterposesgreatriskofre.
Climbingaladderwithsugarcane
budes is ver ris.
8. Trasportig
sugarcae fromfarm to sugar mi
(October-mid-
Ma)
Contractlabortransferssugarcane
fromeldtolorry.
Transporterslaborstackssugarcane
proper for maximum oadig.
Lorrymaintenance.
Expertinhandlingandloading
sugarcae.
Expertinmaximumloadingof
sugarcae i orr.
Expertintheuseofmachetes.
Maintenanceoflorry.
Cautiousindrivingover-loadedlorry
o poor roads troug viages.
Knowledgeofdirectandalternate
routesfromeldtothesugarmill.
Onlyadultmaleworkersengagedin
te operatios.
Goodlorrydriversfordrivingover-
oaded orries.
Driversoftendrinkalcohol,which
poses riss durig or.
9. Uoadig at
sugar factor
(October-Marc)
Gateentryoflorryatthefactorygate.
Parkingundertheunloadingbay.
Tyingbundlesofcanewithsteelwire.
Liftingandreleasingcaneonthe
oader for sreddig..
Efcientandalertstaffatthefactory
gate.
Efcientsecuritypersonnelforquickuoadig of cae orries.
Efcientandalertworkerfortying
budes of cae from orr.
Expertcraneoperatorforquick
oadig of cae oto te oader.
Adultmaleworkersareengagedfor
te operatio.
Trainedandeducatedstaffattheeigtig scae.
Movementofloadedandunloaded
orries aroud te oadig ba is ver
ris.
Craneoperatorisprecariously
positioed atop te cabi (40-foot
eigt).
Freemovementofgrippercancause
serious ijur.
Workerstyingcanebundlesare
cotiuous exposed to accidets.
http://applications/Adobe%20InDesign%20CS5.5/Adobe%20InDesign%20CS5.5.app/Contents/MacOS/cividep_draft.pdfhttp://applications/Adobe%20InDesign%20CS5.5/Adobe%20InDesign%20CS5.5.app/Contents/MacOS/cividep_draft.pdf8/22/2019 Sugarcane Production in India
25/52
Task and Risk Mapping of sugaRcane pRoducTion in india
www.fairlabor.org
5.9 Regional obseRVaTions
5.9.1 Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand, a newly-constituted state in the
northwest region o Uttar Pradesh, has an
area o 53,500 sq. km., o which 65 percent
is orestland. Its Terai region in the oothillso the Himalayas has one o the most ertile
lands in the country. As most o the state is
made up o hills and valleys, the total area
utilized or agriculture is about 24 perce