New Delhi [India], August 14 : The Indian Sugar & Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) and ICAR-Indian Sugarcane Research Institute (ICAR-ISRI), Lucknow, signed an MoU on Thursday to establish an Advanced Centre for Quality Sugarcane Seed Production for sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh and the subtropical region.
The farmer-centric initiative creates a structured, science-based system for the multiplication and distribution of disease-free, genetically pure, and high-yielding sugarcane seed. This arrangement will help farmers access better varieties quickly, improves cane productivity, enhances sugar recovery, and increases farm income.
The centre will be established at ICAR-ISRI, Lucknow, with dedicated facilities for quality seed production, nursery raising, disease indexing, hardening, multiplication, storage, and distribution of planting material. The programme also supports seed quality monitoring, field performance assessment, training of cane development personnel, and large-scale adoption through participating sugar mills to ensure research reaches fields effectively.
Commenting on the development, Deepak Ballani, Director General, ISMA, said, "The sugarcane farmer must remain at the centre of every effort to strengthen the sector. Quality planting material is the starting point for higher productivity, better sugar recovery and stronger farm incomes. This partnership with ICAR-ISRI is aimed at translating scientific research into tangible benefits on the ground by enabling faster and wider access to disease-free, genetically pure and high-yielding planting material through participating sugar mills."
The proposed centre will serve as a dedicated hub focusing on the assured production and timely supply of quality sugarcane planting material of improved, recommended, released, and promising new varieties. It will enable scientific and accelerated multiplication of elite varieties through protected cultivation systems, alongside supporting systematic varietal replacement and diversification across mill command areas.
Ballani added, "The establishment of the Advanced Centre for Quality Sugarcane Seed Production will create a stronger and more reliable quality seed ecosystem, while strengthening field-level monitoring, varietal performance and the capabilities of cane development teams. More importantly, it will help build a sustainable mechanism through which scientific advancements can move from research institutions to the field at scale."
The initiative will also introduce systematic tagging and digital traceability of seed lots to preserve identity and quality throughout the supply chain. Strict phytosanitary protocols and continuous technical support from ICAR-ISRI experts will ensure high standards of seed health.
"Our larger objective is to make quality planting material more accessible, improve productivity per acre and ultimately enhance the economic returns of sugarcane cultivation. This is not just an investment in better seed--it is an investment in the future competitiveness of the sugar industry and the prosperity of the farmers who sustain it," Ballani further noted.