Mechanization Level and Occupational Health Hazards in Sugarcane Cultivation in India

Sugarcane is an important industrial crop of India after cotton, contributing around 6% of the agricultural GDP. A study was undertaken to analyse the sugarcane mechanization in the selected area and also to identify the injury-related operations in sugarcane cultivation. A direct interview with farmers was conducted to gather information using the designed schedule on mechanization level, adoption of equipment, injury and cultivation practices, etc. Seventy-two farmers from three villages of Erode District were considered for this study. The data were analysed statistically to infer the results. The analysis indicates that farmers cultivated sugarcane crops in 36.3 to 47.9% of their available land. An increasing trend of 30–35 kW tractors was observed with 76.3% of farmers. Out of 18 unit operations, five unit operations were completely mechanized, while irrigation was partially mechanized. The farms have enough power sources of 4.13 kW/ha, but most operations were performed manually, reflecting the overall mechanization indicator of 0.162. This indicates that strategies should focus on the penetration of the developed technologies in villages. In the injury analysis, sugarcane leaves were associated with 88% of the total injuries and 12% were tools related. The causation factor included leaf blades that caused cuts while moving in the fields, deep cuts due to pulling and plucking leaves from a cane and slippage of tool (spade), while hitting hard objects resulted in injuries. The injuries affect the productivity and efficiency of the workers. The study suggests cost-effective, simple interventions to prevent these injuries, like face shields, hand gloves and footwear. The suggestions of this study are implementable in developing nations to protect sugarcane workers who perform various activities manually.