Hybrid variety of Black-Filipino Sugarcane is being cultivated experimentally at Pakuria village under Bagha upazila of Rajshahi. Shafiqul Islam of the village has cultivated this variety of sugarcane on 15-katha of his land this season.
It is learnt, the height of Black-Filipino sugarcane is 15 to 20 feet. From the root of every plant, 10 to 15 saplings are grown. Cultivation of this type of sugarcane requires less water and fertiliser that is why the cultivation of this type of sugarcane brings more profit in a less investment. If this variety of sugarcane is transplanted once, no freshly transplantation of saplings of the plant is required every year rather the same continues to grow for the next three years. New saplings are grown from the root of the reaped sugarcane and the production is increased during the next years. Nearly three litres of sugarcane sap can be procured from a single stick of sugarcane which is not possible to get from any other or local variety of sugarcane.
Sugarcane farmer Shafiqul Islam informed, in consultation with the Upazila Agriculture Officer of Bagha, he experimentally cultivated this Philippine variety of black sugar cane on his 15-katha of land. The sugarcane produced on this land will not be sold rather those will be transplanted on other land. By watching the success of cultivation of this type of sugarcane, many of the local farmers are also being interested to cultivate this new hybrid variety of sugarcane. Those farmers have already started to purchase this type of sugarcane from him to cultivate those in their fields. Many of them are also booking the order by paying an advanced money, he added.
Shafiullah Sultan, Agriculture Officer of Bagha upazila informed, Filipino Black variety of sugarcane is an excellent cane for chewing. It is possible to earn Tk. 200,000 ( Tk Two Lakh) by cultivating this type of sugarcane in a bigha of land. This variety of sugarcane has a great demand in the Uttar Pradesh in India. This variety of sugarcane gets matured to reap within 8 to 10 months of cultivation. This cane bears huge sweet, sap and the production is very satisfactory. Farmers of the area are showing huge interest to cultivate this type of sugarcane.
According to the Department of Agriculture in Rajshahi, the local sugarcanes which are usually cultivated in the country are 10 feet in height but the Filipino Black variety of sugarcane is 15 to 20 feet in height. Moreover, this type of sugarcane requires less investment to cultivate but the profit is higher. From the root of every plant, 10 to 15 more saplings are grown which continues to grow for three consecutive years. The cultivation of this type of sugarcane also requires less water and fertiliser. Three litres of sap can be procured from a single sugarcane stick.
