Sugarcane is one of Bangladesh's main cash crops and the principal raw material for sugar. It can be planted at three different times of the year, so the soil has to be chosen before planting, and growers need to know the right time and method.

Sugarcane grows well in clay, loam and clay-loam soils, but well-drained clay loam is best. Choose high or medium-high land where water does not stand.

Apart from January, seedlings can be planted in Bangladesh from October to February. The best time to plant, however, is from mid-September to mid-December. About 30,000–35,000 cuttings, or sets, are needed per hectare.

• Flat method: furrows are made and the sets are planted 5–6 inches deep in them.
• Bhaor method: furrows slightly deeper than in the flat method are made and the sets are planted 8–10 inches deep.
• Trench or furrow method: trenches are dug 100–120 cm apart, centre to centre, 30 cm deep, 30 cm wide at the top and 25 cm wide at the bottom. Seed cane is planted 5–7 inches deep at the bottom of the trench and covered with the topsoil.
• Transplanting method: single-bud cane pieces are raised in polythene bags, or two-bud pieces in a seedbed, and the seedlings are then transplanted to the main field.

Sugarcane usually takes 12–15 months to mature. Depending on the region, the cane is harvested to make sugar or gur (molasses).

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.