As the chances of horizontal expansion in the area under sugarcane in India are bleak, the only solution is to increase the productivity by adopting innovative technologies. As such there are few technologies in sugarcane that can minimize cultivation cost. Bud chip planting popularly known as Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI) is a novel conglomeration of many viable technologies put together so as to increase the productivity. This technology is gaining momentum among cane growers and the present study was conducted to get the feedback of farmers about the various issues concerned with this technology. The study was conducted using ex-post-facto research with 60 cane growers chosen from five mandals of Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh. The reasons for adoption of SSI technology include reduced seed rate, possibility of intercropping, reduced cost of cultivation and increase in cane yield. The other positive factors as perceived by the farmers are synchronized tillers, more number of millable canes, good root establishment, ease of intercultural operations and possibility of multiratooning. The major constraints in adoption of this technology were non-availability of buds of the required sugarcane variety, scarcity of trained labourers and dearth of settlings when needed for planting. Tests of comparison of SSI technology with conventional method of planting using setts indicated a significant‘t’ value. This technology offers scope for introduction of a wide variety of intercrops mainly groundnut, beans, cauliflower, cabbage, capsicum, tomato and potato which could fetch considerable returns. Farmers realized increased net returns through increased cane productivity apart from the economic benefit of growing intercrops. The study helps to get a better understanding of the performance of sustainable sugarcane initiative in farmer’s fields appraised in terms of their own reference and farmers’ observations of this unique technology in South India

Keyword: Sustainable sugarcane initiative; Sugarcane; Socio-economic analysis; Constraints; Perception;