Profile

The Directorate of Sugarcane Development, a subordinate office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Government of India came into existence on December 1969 after re-designation of the Regional Office of Sugarcane Development (ROSD), Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Community Development & Cooperation, Department of Agriculture, 19-20 Rohtak Road, New Delhi-110 005. Since its inception in 1945 as Indian Central Sugarcane Committee (ICSC), Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Community Development & Cooperation, Department of Agriculture, 19-20 Rohtak Road, New Delhi has witnessed sea changes. In December 1965 it has reorganized as Regional Office (Sugarcane), Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Community Development & Cooperation, Department of Agriculture (ICAR), New Delhi which further REORGANIZED to ROSD in April 1966 under the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Community Development & Cooperation, Department of Agriculture at 19-20 Rohtak Road, New Delhi. This has redefined and concretized the role of umbrella organizations under the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation including erstwhile Commodity Directorates. Accordingly, a Workshop entitled “The role of Commodity Directorate and the Directorate of Extension” was organized at National Centre for Management of Agriculture Extension (MANAGE), Hyderabad on 17-18th June 1988. Based on the decision taken in the Hyderabad Workshop, all the commodity Directorates were restructured and re-designated as Crop Development Directorates (CDDs) retaining their original names with bi-focal responsibilities keeping in view three factors in force i.e. “Farming Systems Approach”, “Need for Regional Role” and “Support to Thrust Programmes”.

The office of the Directorate had been shifted from Delhi to Ghaziabad in 1977 and further to Lucknow in October 1995 and now functioning at Lucknow. Consequent upon reorganization of Commodity Directorates, the functions of the Crop Development Directorates were rationalized by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Union Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India w.e.f. 21st June 1995 combining “Area Specific Functions” with the existing responsibility of “Nodal Crops”.