The Northern Division, once considered a powerhouse in terms of cane production with annual crop size of about 700,000 tonnes, could see a decline of about 35 per cent this season.
National Farmers Union president Surendra Lal said the forecasted drop in production was a direct result of two cyclones and continuous wet weather experienced since December.
“The North was hit by TC Yasa and TC Ana and we have had continuous wet weather over the past months so less cane will be harvested as a result.
We are making the analysis based on our experience over the past few decades.
“Whenever we face continuous bad weather and when there’s cyclone damage to farms and railway infrastructure, there has always been a corresponding drop in cane,” he said.
Mr Lal said apart from weather issues, farmers were unable to make preparations for the 2021 season because the forecast price per tonne had not been announced.
“Our members have raised the issue because we cannot work out how we are going to pay labourers and other costs if we don’t know how much we are going to get per tonne for our cane this year,” he said.
When contacted, Sugar Ministry permanent secretary Yogesh Karan said the forecast price would be announced soon.
