Lucknow, Jun 24 (IANS): To increase the participation of women in sugarcane farming and promote self-employment in the rural areas, the Yogi Adityanath government has decided to train women in preparing cane seedlings through single bud and bud chip method.

The women can make additional earning by selling these seedlings to the sugarcane farmers.

State Cane Commissioner Sanjay Bhoosreddy said, "Sugarcane is cultivated on a large-scale as a cash crop in the state and there are immense possibilities of employment in cane growing districts. The department has decided to set up self-help groups of rural women and train them to prepare cane nurseries through single bud and bud chip method. This will generate employment and ensure additional income."

Sugarcane is propagated primarily by the planting of cuttings. The sections of the stalk of immature cane used for planting are known as seed cane, or cane sets, and have two or more buds (eyes), usually three. Seed cane is then planted in well-worked fields.

The Cane Development Council and sugar mills have jointly selected villages for setting up the self-help groups of women to impart training to them.

Such self-help groups were earlier trained in 24 districts and Gorakhpur and Maharajganj have recently been added to the list.

According to official sources, so far, 1,399 rural women in 145 women self-help groups have already been trained by the department.

Necessary machines for this purpose are being made available at subsidised rates with the cooperation of sugar mills to the entrepreneurs.