Vol. 2, Issue 8, Part B (2016)

Abstract
The India is one of the largest sugarcane producers in the world. The sugarcane is an important cash crop grown in India. The sugarcane cultivation and development of sugar industry runs parallel to the growth of human civilization and is as old as agriculture. The importance and use of sugarcane and sugar in the country economic milieu is deep rooted and immense in the current day rural economy set up sugarcane cultivation and sugar industry has been focal point for economic development in rural areas by mobilizing rural resources generating employment and higher income, transportation and communication facilities. The sugarcane growing may be broadly classified into two agro climatic regions tropical and sub-tropical. The sub-tropical zone includes four States are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana. The tropical zone includes five States are Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Karnataka. The sugar industry is the second largest agro industry in India, next to textiles. In Andhra Pradesh, Sugarcane is grown in 2.40 lakh hectares and 136 lakh tons of sugarcane is produced in the state. The major objectives are examine the socio-economic background of sample sugarcane farmers, to examine the cost and returns structure of sugarcane cultivation and the important problems of sugarcane cultivation at micro level in the study area. The nature of data used for study is both primary and secondary data. The discussion on methodology includes selection of the study area, sample households, tools of analysis. Multistage sampling technique is use in the sample selection process. Taking into consideration, the technical analysis of cost and returns, the problems of sugarcane farmers as pointed out sample farmers the following suggestions are given to sustain sugarcane cultivation and to improve the economic conditions of sugarcane farmers in Andhra Pradesh.