13th August, 2020, Lucknow
The ICAR- Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh organized a Webinar on “In-migrants in farm and sugarcane sector” today.
In his welcome address, Dr. A.D. Pathak, Director, ICAR-IISR, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh highlighted the Institute’s efforts in creating employment opportunities in jaggery, cane cultivation and intercropping.
Shri Sanjay R. Bhoosreddy, Additional Chief Secretary, Sugar Industry and Cane Development, Government of Uttar Pradesh; Shri Vijay Sardana, Techno-Legal and Business Risk management Expert, New Delhi and Professor Kushankur Dey, Food and Agri Business Management, Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow were among the Panelists during the webinar.
The major points emerged out of deliberations are as follows:
1. More than 10.0 lakh labourers were engaged in harvesting of sugarcane and other activities during the Pandemic.
2. About 75,000 sugar mill workers were continuously employed in sugar mills even after the end of crushing season on 19th June, 2020.
3. In Uttar Pradesh, 36 lakh migrants returned during the lockdown, out of which 20.37 lakh (54%) were skilled workers and 3.19 lakh were women.
4. The UP Workmen and Labour Commission under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister, Shri Yogi Aditya Nath was formed and an Integrated Employment Portal was created to create database of all the returnee migrants.
5. For creating jobs for 75,000 women, the process for the formation of 5 Self Help Groups in each of 125 Cane Development Councils was initiated. In each SHG, 10 to 20 women farmers / workers will be engaged in production and distribution of cane nurseries.
6. The rural entrepreneurship in pulp and paper making from sugarcane bagasse may be explored.
7. The returnee migrants may be engaged locally in Pitt digging for making silage from the green cane top.
8. There is huge potential of livelihood for skilled returnee migrants in making traditional food items from sugarcane juice like Jaggery, syrup, chikki, candy, etc. Technical backstopping from ICAR-IISR in this regard is expected.
9. The value-chain for product diversification in sugarcane should be established in the rural settings in the true spirit of clarion call by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, that is, “Being Vocal for Local”. The provisions under the MSMEs may be leveraged for sugarcane value-chain development.
10. The secondary agriculture and cluster-based farming has the potential to create jobs and income for returnee migrants and should be explored with suitable policy and technical support.
About 125 participants from the Research Institutes, Sugar Mills, Cane Department and Universities attended the Webinar.
(Source: ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)
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