PUNE, 26 April 2023: UPL Sustainable Agri Solutions Ltd, India’s leading provider of sustainable agriculture solutions, along with Shreenath Mhaskoba Sugar Mill, organized a ‘Sugarcane Pronutiva Mela’ at Pune on Friday, to promote sustainable production growth in sugarcane crop and raise awareness about the Shashwat Mithaas project, which was launched last year.
The event aimed to showcase the success of the Shashwat Mithaas project and the Pronutiva package, a sustainable agriculture solution that helps increase crop yield and improve soil health. The package includes a range of inputs such as plant nutrients, plant growth regulators, and bio-solutions that help improve water efficiency and minimize cultivation costs.
The package practices were validated by ARDS Scientist, ensuring that farmers can trust the efficacy of the solution. In total, 51 acres of Pronutiva kits were distributed to farmers, enabling them to adopt sustainable agriculture practices and improve crop yields.
Speaking at the event, Ajeet Chaugule, Executive Director, Western India Sugar Mills Association, said, “We are delighted to see UPL and Shreenath Mhaskoba Sugar Mill taking concrete steps towards sustainable agriculture. The Shashwat Mithaas project is a great initiative that not only supports local sugarcane farmers but also helps to preserve the environment. We are confident that with the continued adoption of Pronutiva package practices, farmers in the catchment area will be able to increase their yield and improve soil health.”
Highlighting on FY 2023-24 plans, Ashish Dobhal, India Region Director of UPL said, “UPL has set a goal of enrolling 10,000 acres in the Shashwat Mithaas Project and increasing the sugarcane crop yield by 10 percent to 15 percent sustainably in the mill catchment area. We aim to focus on soil health improvement, minimize the cost of cultivation by using UPL Mechanization and adopting scientific planting practices and proper fertilizer doses, conduct farmers' meets before the season at the village level for awareness about the Shashwat Mithaas Project, emphasize the use of Super Cane Nursery to minimize setts cost and seed-born disease, minimize the fertilizer cost of farmers by giving them proper advisory and sustainable practices, and increase water use efficiency and leaching loss by using Zeba technology.”
Explaining the success so far, Pandurang Raut, Chairman - Shreenath Mhaskoba Sugar Mill, said, “We are proud to be a part of the Shashwat Mithaas project and are committed to promoting sustainable agriculture in the region. We have deployed 5 Boom sprayer machines in our mill premises, which has been used by over 1000 farmers for spraying sugarcane crops. The project has onboarded 1600 farmers by conducting farmers' meets at the village level and conducting field days. Additionally, some farmers have adopted new scientific techniques for planting, such as Super Cane Nursery, which helps to minimize the cost of setts and obtain quality seedlings.”
As a part of Shaswat Mitthas 20 ProNutiva model plots were laid out among 7 blocks of the Sugar Mill, and field days on 3 plots were conducted to showcase the results of the ProNutiva Package. As a result, 400 farmers used the Total ProNutiva Package on 1200 acres of sugarcane crops, and were highly satisfied with the results in terms of germination, growth, and overall plant health. The initiative was also felicitated with two prestigious awards for Sustainable Sugarcane Production Drive from FICCI and Bonsucro.
The Sugarcane Pronutiva Mela is part of UPL’s ongoing efforts to promote sustainable production growth in sugarcane crop and support local farming communities. The company remains committed to developing innovative solutions that help farmers increase crop yields, improve soil health and preserve the environment.
The event was attended by Ajeet Chaugule, Executive Director, Western India Sugar Mills Association, Pandurang Raut Chairman - Shreenath Mhaskoba Sugar Mill and Dattaram Raskar, CEO - Shreenath Mhaskoba Sugar Mill, Harshal Sonawane, Lead – Shaashwat Mithaas Project and Crop Manager – Sugarcane for India along with other dignitaries.
The event witnessed the visit of as many as 200 farmers, from over 25 villages. The farmers visited the ARDS Sugarcane Pronutiva Plot and learned and understood about latest farming practices under Pronutiva package.
