Agreement Signed Between Uttar Pradesh Sugar Mills Association and World Bank

• 29 Apr 2023

Why in News?

According to information received from media sources on April 27, 2023, there is an agreement to establish a long-term relationship between the Sugar Mills Association of the state and the World Bank in line with a common vision and priorities on 'micro-irrigation' in a workshop organized in Lucknow for the larger benefit of sugarcane farmers.

Key Points

• The MoU was signed by Ajit Radhakrishnan on behalf of the World Bank and Deepak Guptara, General Secretary, on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh Sugar Mills Association.
• 2030 WRG made a presentation about its pilot project 'Drip Irrigation' under the Uttar Pradesh Project. In the workshop, M/s. Gujarat Green Revolution Company (GGRC), Ahmedabad also presented the 'New Single Window Delivery Model' being developed for the Uttar Pradesh Micro Irrigation Project and shared their experience of working with the sugarcane farmers of Gujarat. A review of the works done revealed that sugarcane farmers in the state of Gujarat were successful in saving about 30 percent of water.
• The World Bank is working closely with its Water Resources Group and UPSMA to implement the 'UP Pragati Agri Water Accelerator'.
• The project synergizes the capabilities of the two organizations to develop a sustainable 'micro-irrigation model' for the overall benefit of the sugarcane farmers of the state. The program aspires to run a large-scale assistance program in more than 38 districts of the state based on the current priority criteria. This is expected to bring down the production cost of sugarcane farmers significantly.
• The project will primarily focus on the following-
  • Promotion of water efficient practices in sugarcane cultivation.
  • Promotion of mechanization of sugarcane cultivation.
  • De-carbonizing the sugar enrichment chain by promoting low carbon ergonomic operations.
• It is known that Uttar Pradesh Sugar Mills Association (UPSMA) is a major organization of private sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh. The main objective of UPSMA is to ensure the protection of the functioning and interests of the private sugar mills in the state through favorable and development-oriented policies of the government. UPSMA has been working since 1938 in the interest of sugarcane farmers and industry in the state.
• The 2030 Water Resources Group is a public, private, civil society multi-donor trust fund of the World Bank Group. WRG supports stakeholders in collective decision-making and co-designing out-of-the-box solutions that drive strong socio-economic development in all water-related sectors.