Song Con Sugar Corporation is ready for the new crushing season.
In early December, Song Con Sugar Company will begin its new crushing season. Along with upgrading the factory's equipment, and due to higher sugarcane yields this year compared to last year, the company is offering better support policies for sugarcane growers.
High sugarcane yield
Tan Ky is known for its advantages in developing sugarcane cultivation, and local farmers have been involved with sugarcane farming for decades. Sugarcane farming not only alleviates poverty but also helps many households become well-off by renting land to grow sugarcane.
Visiting Giai Xuan commune in early November, you'll see vast, lush green sugarcane fields preparing for harvest. The locals are clearing away the dry leaves – the final step in the production cycle – to reap the rewards of a year of hard work cultivating a sweet sugarcane crop.
According to sugarcane farmers, sugarcane is a much more profitable crop than cassava or corn.The first,Sugarcane requires little care, making it suitable for the current rural labor situation.MondayThe initial capital and investment costs are advanced or loaned by the company and will be repaid upon harvest.Tuesday,The product, sugarcane, is 100% purchased by the company. Therefore, farmers feel secure and confident, boldly renting land to grow sugarcane and expanding their acreage.
According to Mr. Truong Hai Vinh's family in Ke Mui hamlet, Giai Xuan commune, their three acres of high-lying land, previously used for growing corn and rice with low yields, have been converted to sugarcane cultivation for several years now. Furthermore, the family has even rented additional land to grow sugarcane. Previously, sugarcane farming involved worries about land preparation, harvesting, hiring laborers, and providing meals… but now, with mechanization, there are no more concerns. Now, they only need to focus on proper care and techniques, and timely pest and disease control to ensure high yields, high sugar content, and a high selling price.
Mr. Vu Ngoc Son, Chairman of the People's Committee of Giai Xuan commune, said: "In recent years, the price of sugarcane has increased significantly, so people in the commune have invested more in sugarcane cultivation. This year, the entire commune has nearly 900 hectares of sugarcane, the highest ever, with nearly 200 hectares planted in large-scale fields. Thanks to technical guidance and the application of synchronized mechanization in sugarcane cultivation, production costs have decreased, and the yield and output in Giai Xuan are expected to increase to 70 tons/ha, much higher than the previous season. For areas with concentrated sugarcane cultivation, the yield is expected to be 90-120 tons/ha. If the price of sugarcane remains stable like the previous crushing season, farmers are expected to earn 100-110 million VND/ha, with an estimated profit of 40-50 million VND/ha."
In the 2024-2025 crop year, Song Con Sugar Company's sugarcane area covers nearly 6,000 hectares, concentrated mainly in Tan Ky district, followed by Thanh Chuong, Yen Thanh, Do Luong, and Anh Son districts. Although white cottony mealybug disease appeared in some sugarcane fields this year, thanks to timely detection and early control, along with relatively favorable weather conditions and less severe drought than last year, sugarcane yields in Tan Ky district developed well and were higher. In addition, the introduction of new sugarcane varieties: KK3 and LK9211, has demonstrated superior advantages: less susceptible to pests and diseases, good drought tolerance, tall and robust plants, high sugar content, and high yields, making sugarcane growers very enthusiastic.
Mr. Nguyen Ba Quy, Deputy Director of Song Con Sugar Company, added: This year, the weather has generally been favorable, so the average sugarcane yield is expected to reach 60 tons/ha (compared to 57 tons/ha last year). In particular, some plots in Tan Long, Giai Xuan, Nghia Dong communes, etc., where sugarcane is grown intensively and cared for according to proper technical procedures, have achieved yields of 120-140 tons/ha. Due to this year's outstanding yield, the estimated raw sugarcane production of Song Con Sugar Company is over 360,000 tons.
Ready for the crushing
To prepare for a successful crushing season, Song Con Sugar Corporation has proactively deployed workers and engineers to maintain, service, and repair machinery and production lines, ensuring a capacity of 3,300 tons per day. With this capacity, the company will utilize all of the farmers' sugarcane raw materials, minimizing material stagnation during peak season and simultaneously improving the quality of the finished sugar product.
According to the leaders of Song Con Sugar Corporation, sugar prices on the market are still unstable. Currently, the factory is in the process of completing equipment and conducting trial runs. Notably, the company recently invested in installing a large-capacity power turbine from India, providing sufficient electricity for the factory's operation, replacing the smaller turbines used previously. At the same time, the company invested over 1 billion VND, in coordination with local authorities in the sugarcane growing areas, to repair and upgrade internal roads to facilitate the easy and convenient transportation of sugarcane.
To reduce costs and labor for sugarcane farmers, the company plans to contract for two combine harvesters to serve the local community. Accordingly, the area harvested by machine will reach approximately 15-20% of the total sugarcane area of over 5,000 hectares in Tan Ky district. With a machine capacity of 200-250 tons per day, this translates to hundreds of times the productivity of unskilled labor, and the rental price is only about 170,000 VND per ton, cheaper than hiring workers.
For the 2025-2026 sugarcane season, Song Con Sugarcane Joint Stock Company plans to plant 1,900 hectares of new sugarcane and maintain nearly 4,000 hectares of ratooned sugarcane. Accordingly, the company will continue to introduce new varieties: KK3 and LK9211. To support farmers in expanding the sugarcane raw material area, the company has a policy of rewarding sugarcane growers with 30 tons of treated sugarcane sludge for every hectare of newly planted sugarcane, and an average reward of 20% (100,000 VND/ton) of the weight of sugarcane delivered to the company daily that is assessed as clean sugarcane (clean sugarcane is sugarcane with impurities below 3%), aiming to encourage farmers to reduce unnecessary costs and lower production costs for the factory.
With the sugarcane harvest approaching, and with thorough preparation of factory equipment and production lines, coupled with outstanding sugarcane yields, sugarcane growers in Tan Ky district are hoping for a bountiful harvest.
