Farmers in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh booked all 200,000 single buds of the new early-maturing sugarcane variety CoS.23232 within five minutes of online booking opening on 9 October 2026, leaving many who tried without planting material.
The Uttar Pradesh Council of Sugarcane Research (UPCSR) in Shahjahanpur opened bookings at 10 am through the state sugarcane department's portal, enquiry.caneup.in. Mini seed kits this year carry single buds of two varieties: 200,000 buds of CoS.23232 and 100,000 of CoS.19231.
CoS.23232 was released for cultivation in the state in September 2026. Dr Arvind Kumar, a senior scientist and breeder who worked on it, says it shows better germination, more tillers, more millable canes, higher yield potential and higher sugar content, and that it could become a better alternative to Co.0238, the variety most widely grown in Uttar Pradesh. The council also expects comparatively better resistance to pests and diseases; how it performs in farmers' fields will decide how widely it spreads.
To get planting material out faster, the council is multiplying seed through single-bud propagation and tissue culture. UPCSR Director Abhishek Anand said the council had started making planting material available within a month of the variety's release.
More mini seed kits of new varieties are expected to be handed out at the council's Mithaas Mela 2026 in October, with dates to be announced through its publicity channels and SMS alerts. Farmers have been advised to follow the council's official channels for seed news.
The rush shows how much demand there is for improved cane and how short the supply of quality planting material still is, a constraint familiar to cane growers across South Asia.
Photo: Ravityagijiffy / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Rural Voice
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