ABSTRACT

Sugarcane trash management has now been widely applied in sugarcane cultivation system for profitability and also it has a good influence on sugar productivity, improve soil fertility and achieve sustainability. This study evaluates the economic and environmental issues of sugarcane trash management in Belagavi and Mandya districts of Karnataka state for the period of 2023-24, hypothesizing those sustainable methods, despite higher initial costs, enhance net returns through improved yields and reduced input costs. Both secondary data on trends in sugarcane production and primary data on economic management, externalities, constraints, and impacts were collected through interview schedule and analyzed. Employing a multi-stage purposive sampling of 128 sample farmers, the research uses cost and return analysis and descriptive statistics to compare practices including burning, mulching, decomposition, in-situ soil incorporation and composting. Results indicated that positive trend in sugarcane production in India and in Karnataka also and the average total cost of cultivation per hectare was 134,587 with a gross return of 225,000 and a benefit-cost ratio of 1.67 in Belagavi and Mandya districts. Trash composting, though involving the higher labour costs, yields the highest profitability with a benefit-cost ratio of 1.97 and an average yield of 98.75 tonnes ha-1. Trash mulching adopted by 64.6 per cent of the farmers, also showed a higher profitability with a benefit-cost ratio of 1.86 and it yields of 91.25 tonnes ha-1. Conversely, trash burning while least expensive results in the lowest profitability and yield, cause environmental issues. The study highlighted the environmental and economic benefits of sustainable trash management practices, recommending trash composting, decomposition, in-situ soil incorporation and mulching for maximizing profitability and improving sugarcane yields. The research emphasizes the need for policy interventions to promote environmentally sustainable management practices and discourage trash burning for a more sustainable future in sugarcane farming.