Question.
Why is the sugar industry a seasonal industry?
(NCERT class 12 geography, India People and Economy, Chapter-8-Manufacturing Industries)
Answer.
The sugar industry is a seasonal industry as sugarcane is the main raw material for the sugar industry and sugarcane is not available throughout the year. Sugar mills can be operated only at the time of harvesting of sugarcane.
That is why the sugar industry is a seasonal industry.
Generally, the maturity period of sugarcane is 12 to 18 months and this sugarcane ripens at different times depending on the variety and the time of sowing.
Sugarcane is normally planted from January to March and is harvested from December to March.
In states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, sugarcane is planted in three different seasons—June to August, October to November, and January to February.
The sugar industry is the second most important agro-based industry in India after the cotton textile industry. India is the largest producer of both sugarcane and sugar in the world and accounts for 8 percent of the total sugarcane production in the world.
Sugar industries in India provide direct employment to more than 8 lakh persons and indirect employment to a large number of farmers.
Sugarcane is an impure raw material that loses weight in the manufacturing process and needs to be processed within 24 hours of harvesting. This is the reason why most of the sugar mills in India are located near sugar-growing areas and even during the British period the sugar industry prospered.
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