Annual گنّا

Sugarcane

A twelve-month crop supplying the sugar and gur industries.

Season: Annual
Planting: Sep – Mar
Harvest: Nov – Mar
Duration: ~12 months

Grown in: Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Windows are indicative and shift with district, altitude and season.

Overview

Why sugarcane matters

Sugarcane occupies the field for a full year and supports both mill sugar and traditional gur production. Ratoon management largely determines whether the second and third crops stay profitable.

A crop that occupies the field for a full year, and rewards the grower who plans the ratoon before the first cane is cut.

Twelve months in the ground

Growing conditions

Climate and soil

Climate

Hot and humid during growth with 25–35 °C; cool, dry weather before harvest raises sucrose recovery.

Soil

Deep, fertile, well-drained loam with good water-holding capacity, pH 6.5–7.5.

Planting & sowing

Autumn planting September to October gives the highest yields; spring planting February to March is more common. Use 30,000–35,000 three-budded setts per acre from a certified, disease-free nursery.

Irrigation

Fifteen to twenty irrigations across the year. The grand growth phase from June to September carries the highest demand. Trench planting with alternate-furrow irrigation saves water.

Fertilisation

Roughly 100 kg N, 45 kg P₂O₅ and 50 kg K₂O per acre, nitrogen split three ways up to the onset of the grand growth phase. Press mud and farmyard manure improve structure on tired soils.