SERVING
THE FARMING COMMUNITY
Farmer is the major
link in the supply chain of a sugar unit. Farmers co-exist
with sugar unit and vice versa. The interests of the sugar
unit and the farmers are complementary to each other. The
cost of sugarcane supplied by the farmers constitutes nearly
65% - 70% of the total cost of producing sugar. Special
emphasis is laid by DSIL on the cane development and welfare
of farmers. Cane developmental efforts are directed towards
improvement in the quantity and quality of sugarcane
produced.Efforts towards quantitative development:
- Prompt payment to farmers for sugarcane supplies
- Seminar and awareness programs to educate the
farmers of the latest techniques to improve the yield
per hectare.
- Free and subsidized distribution of pesticides and
fertilizers.
- Watershed management with the help of assimilation
of data through satellite and highly sophisticated
equipments
- Land reclamation with the help of satellite data.
- Fiscal assistance in the form sponsoring function
for distribution of credit cards to farmers under the
aegis of Banks
Timely payments: The company has an excellent payment
record, which ensures continuous and timely procurement of
quality sugarcane, thereby ensuring excellent raw material
management. This is because, at the core of Dwarikesh’s
philosophy is that the Company’s health and prosperity is
positively and proportionately linked to the health and
prosperity of our farmers.
- It is this Dwarikesh way of thinking that motivates us to
make payments to farmers ahead of the stipulated time.
- It is this Dwarikesh way of doing business that ensured
that in 2006-07, when many others in the industry contested
the Rs. 125 SAP, Dwarikesh, though somewhat late, was still
amongst the first to release the payments.
- And it is this Dwarikesh way of nurturing relationships that
was behind our move to clear all our cane dues for the last
crushing season, 2008-09.
CANE
DEVELOPMENT MEASURES
Keeping in mind the importance of quality sugarcane to boost
recovery and excellence in production, we allocate adequate
percentage of our revenue and our employees in promoting
cane development activities at the grassroot level.
Driving this excellence is our series of several proactive
measures aimed at:
- Continuous research and development.
- Production of improved
varieties of sugarcane.
- Increase in per acre yield to enable farmers to maximize
their earnings and to ensure increased supply to us.
- Protection from diseases.
Show/Hide:
Read More: A glance at our cane
development initiatives
Seed
development:
Maintenance of new improved seed nurseries
under supervision of our trained and senior
staff to help farmers achieve the results of
low fibre, high sugar and high yield from
their cane varieties.
Supply of ding seeds, fertilizers and
pesticides to farmers covering our command
area.
Procurement of cane seeds from Sugarcane
Research Station, and distribution of seeds
to growers for raising foundations and
primary nurseries.
Supply of subsidized seeds (from research
institutions, agricultural development
institutions) and fertilizers to enable
farmers to grow improvised variety of cane,
improve yields, etc.
Provision of soil testing facility to the
farmers of our reserve zone, free of cost,
at reputed soil testing laboratories.
Digging of bore wells.
Installation of deep submersible pumps for
facilitating irrigation.
Pest
management:
Cane seed treatment of improved varieties
through M.H.A.T. units to control seed-borne
diseases like grassy shoot disease, ratoon
stunting diseases, red leaf strip, leaf
streak and leaf stripe diseases etc. Cane
seed treatment also helps in controlling the
spread of wilt, red-rot smut, etc.
Biological control of early shoot borer, top
borer, Gurdaspur borer, Pyrilla insect pest
etc. being done through Trichogramma
Chilonis and Tricho Japonicum rearing in our
Bio-control laboratory. Eipipyrox rearing
and shifting/ tagging in sugarcane fields
through our technically trained staff.
Kisan sewa
kendras:
Provision of good quality agrochemicals at
subsidized rates through the Kisan sewa
kendras of our sugar mills.
Financial assistance: Funds for raising and
maintenance of nurseries. Assist with loan
arrangements to upgrade
technology and cane growing processes.
Tie-up with various banks for arranging
loans at attractive interest rates and
provide guarantees on behalf of farmers to
banks for timely recovery and payments.
Knowledge &
training programs:
Conducting training seminars for farmers at
the Research Station.
Our trained staff visits and educates
villagers on modern farming techniques and
implementation of modern agricultural
practices.
Provide continuing education to the farmers
regarding intercultural practices in
sugarcane crop to achieve higher yield and
quality of cane.
Road
development:
Development, repair and maintenance of
difference link roads in the respective
command areas with a view to providing easy
transportation facility to our cane
suppliers.
Research &
development:
Interact with sugarcane scientists/research
stations to educate in-house staff and
farmers about new technologies in sugarcane
cultivation, innovation in sugarcane
research and modern farming practices.
Educate farmers on adoption of crop
rotation, use of bio-agents, and adoption of
cultural practices for control of insects,
pests and diseases.
Encourage farmers to do autumn planting on
large scale for facilitating multiple
cropping, which in turn, would maximize
their returns.
Create awareness about improved cultural
practices of sugarcane cultivation to obtain
better yield, as well as better quality of
cane - research to facilitate better
vertical growth of cane, better girth, etc.
The way ahead
Our unique way of promoting and nurturing
farmer relations and evolving progressive
partnerships with our other vendors and
customers has helped us in multiple ways. It
has helped us build a reputation for
credibility, integrity, loyalty and
goodwill. And together, these values have
helped drive our success story…a story of
excellence that spans the entire gamut of
our business.
Going ahead, we plan to introduce more labor
efficient processes and also set up our own
research farms with the objective of
conducting demonstrations and trials
frequently, so as to find better varieties
of sugarcane and innovation in cultivation
practices for obtaining quality cane
production.
Continued farmer meetings and seminars on
new technology and modern practices in cane
development, along with development of new
link roads for easy transportation of
sugarcane at gate and out centers, are other
initiatives that we propose to undertake in
the coming year.
EFFORTS
TOWARDS QUALITATIVE DEVELOPMENT
- Operating subsidy schemes to encourage the farmers
to produce improved and early varieties of sugarcane
- Providing seeds, fertilizers and pesticides to the
farmers so that their crop is not vulnerable to diseases
etc.
- Procurement of nuclear and foundation cane seeds
from Sugarcane Research station and distribution of
seeds to growers for raising foundation and primary
nurseries
- Financial assistance for raising and maintenance of
nurseries
- Conducting training seminars for farmers at research
stations
- Conducting varietal trial demonstration on plots
- Cane seed treatment program through M.H.A.T.
- Assimilation of data through satellite to improve
the soil condition and make same more adaptable to
growth of sugarcane.
- Research and development at the company's soil
testing laboratory for study of soil condition and
impart training to farmers on the basis of the findings
- Research at company's Bio-pesticide laboratory for
study of production of pesticide for disease control of
crops.
- Reward and incentive schemes for supply of better
quality of sugarcane.
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT:
Dwarikesh also takes care of the repair and maintenance of
different link roads so that the farming community can
easily transport their loads to the mill. The measure
undertaken for cane development have had significant impact
on the conditions of the farmers who have become more
enlightened, prosperous and have developed a sense of
belonging to the company. The sustained increase in the
supply of sugarcane over the years bears testimony to the
confidence they have reposed in us.
The officials of the company have established such rapport
with the farmers that the officials of the company are
regarded as their friends and well wishers. The joys and the
sorrows of the farmers are shared by the company and the
strong force of the farmers is considered an integral part
of the company.
