Song Con Sugar Company harvests sugarcane using machinery.

Mechanization in sugarcane fields

In early December, the weather was warm, and from early morning, the sound of sugarcane harvesting machines echoed through the sugarcane fields of Tan Ky district, still shrouded in a silvery mist. Across the vast sugarcane fields, many locals eagerly watched the machines in operation. Wherever the machines went, the sugarcane was neatly harvested, leaving behind a thick layer of finely chopped sugarcane leaves on the field.

According to Mr. Tran Ngoc Chau, the owner of the sugarcane harvesting machine, harvesting sugarcane with a machine is very fast and consistent. The sugarcane is cut close to the root, the top is ground into a fine powder, and then spread back onto the field. The sugarcane stalks are also cut into pieces about 20 cm long. The harvested sugarcane is transported directly to the factory, saving time and, importantly, ensuring the weight and sugar content. The sugarcane harvesting machine has a maximum capacity of 100 tons of sugarcane per day.

During operation, a truck carrying finished sugarcane runs parallel to the sugarcane harvester, collecting the cut sugarcane stalks and loading them into its cargo bed. When the truck is full, it drives straight back to the factory, and another truck immediately takes its place. This process continues throughout the day, with the sugarcane harvester moving from one field to another.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Long, a sugarcane farmer in Nghia Dong commune, said that to harvest 1 hectare of sugarcane, equivalent to about 70-80 tons, it takes dozens of people a day to cut the sugarcane. Of course, it's not easy to hire dozens of people at once, so harvesting 1 hectare of sugarcane usually takes 2-3 days. This lengthy harvesting process affects the quality of the sugarcane, reducing its weight and sugar content. Meanwhile, harvesting 1 hectare of sugarcane by machine takes less than a day, and the sugarcane is ready for transport to the factory. Another advantage is that all the leaves, tops, and impurities are finely ground by the machine and spread onto the field surface, creating moisture in the soil and adding nutrients to the plants.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Quy, Deputy Director of Song Con Sugar Company, said: "From November 26th, the company started purchasing sugarcane from farmers, initiating the new crushing season. This year, the company is purchasing sugarcane directly from farmers at three price levels: 1,120,000 VND/ton for sugarcane with 10 CCS or more; 1,080,000 VND/ton for sugarcane with 9 to under 10 CCS; and 1,045,000 VND/ton for sugarcane with a sugar content below 9 CCS. Compared to last year, the price of sugarcane is lower this year, due to the decrease in sugar prices on the market."

However, to encourage farmers to harvest sugarcane early and ensure a supply of raw materials for the factory, the company increased the purchase price by 30,000 VND/ton during the first 10 days of the season (from November 26th to December 6th).

To prepare for the new crushing season, Song Con Sugar Corporation has proactively deployed workers and engineers to maintain, service, and repair machinery and production lines, ensuring a crushing capacity of 3,300 tons per day. Notably, the company recently invested in installing a large-capacity power turbine from India, providing sufficient electricity for the plant's operation, replacing the smaller turbines used previously.

Previously, in 2023, the company also invested 5 billion VND to upgrade its sugar-making equipment with new technology from India, aiming to continuously improve its sugar products and meet the increasingly high demands of customers.

Outstanding sugarcane yield

For the 2024-2025 crop year, Song Con Sugar Company's sugarcane raw material area will be nearly 6,000 hectares, concentrated mostly in Tan Ky district, followed by Thanh Chuong, Yen Thanh, Do Luong, and Anh Son districts.

Although white cottony mealybug disease appeared on some sugarcane fields this year, thanks to timely detection and control measures, along with relatively favorable weather conditions and less severe drought than last year, the sugarcane yield in Tan Ky developed well and was higher than usual.

Furthermore, 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 yield and production, thus bringing joy to sugarcane growers.

The company expects the average sugarcane yield this year 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., planted 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 sugarcane production of Song Con Sugarcane Joint Stock Company is over 360,000 tons.

To reduce costs and solve the labor problem for sugarcane farmers, the company contracted two combine harvesters to serve the local community. Accordingly, the area harvested by machine will reach approximately 15-20% of the total nearly 5,000 hectares of sugarcane in Tan Ky district.

To be able to harvest sugarcane by machine, farmers need to plant sugarcane according to certain criteria, such as planting in double rows, with each row spaced at least 1.4m apart, and the field surface being relatively flat with a slope of no more than 5%. Calculations show that sugarcane planted in double rows yields higher productivity compared to planting in single rows as is commonly done. The sufficient distance between rows not only facilitates machine harvesting but also makes it easier to introduce machinery for tilling, fertilizing, and spraying pesticides during the cultivation process.

Hopefully, with the introduction of machinery into sugarcane harvesting, farmers will have less hardship during the harvest season; and at the same time, the sugarcane production industry will be gradually modernized and mechanized.