Inter-cropping with sugarcane has been found as more beneficial to the farmers as it can boost
total crop production coupled with ensuring sustainable sugarcane cultivation with a higher
economic benefit compared to other crops.
Systematic inter-cropping of potato, onion, lentil, mug bean, garlic and some other winter
crops, vegetables and spice help increases sugarcane yield compared to sole-cropping.
Quoting field-level research findings and farmers views the sugarcane researchers and
agriculturists revealed this while talking to BSS here on Friday.
Dr Khalilur Rahman, chief scientific officer of Bangladesh Sugarcane Research Institute (BSRI)
at Ishwardi, revealed that inter-cropping not only increases total crop production but also help
improve soil health and fertility with little or no negative effect on sugarcane yield and quality.
Terming the sugarcane as a cash-cum-industrial crop of Bangladesh, he said its farming is being
gradually pushed into low-lying marginal lands due to high demand of cereals and vegetable
crops.
Besides, the national average yield is far below than potential yield. Although a good number
of high yielding modern varieties and production technologies have been developed at the BSRI
but these modern varieties and production technologies failed to increase national average
yield to a satisfactory level.
He attributed that the existing sugarcane cultivation would not be economically viable without
inter- cropping which always reduce the demand for extra land to produce the above crops as
well as save foreign currency. So, it must be mandatory for the sugarcane farmers.
Furthermore, inter- cropping creates additional job opportunity needed for intensive crop
production.
He underscored the need for a wide-range expansion of sugarcane inter-cropping through
reactivating the field level agricultural officials and staff for the nation’s food security.
Principal Scientific Officer Dr Samajit Pal said the BSRI has, so far, developed more than 30
production packages of different winter crops suitable to inter- cropping with sugarcane but the
technologies could not be expanded to the farmers’ level due to lack of proper initiatives.
To overcome the problems, BSRI developed a series of high yielding varieties of sugarcane and
production technologies especially inter- cropping packages for sustainable production under
particular agro-ecological and socio-economic conditions for the poor farmers.
Multiple cropping, in general, refers to planting two or more crops in the same field in a same
year. -BSS, Rajshahi
