Song Con Sugarcane Joint Stock Company: Heavy damage due to dry and burnt sugarcane

Sadness of dry burnt sugar cane

During these hot days, many areas of raw sugarcane in Tan Ky district, especially in the inner communes, are withered.

Mr. Le Van Quy, an agricultural officer of Song Con Sugar Company assigned to be in charge of Dong Van commune (Tan Ky), said: Despite the hot weather, people cannot find any solution to prevent drought for sugarcane because there is no water source, but we still have to stay in the fields every day to grasp the situation of pests and diseases, and prevent them in time. In addition, we also grasp the situation of dry and burnt sugarcane to report to the factory leaders.

On the dusty dirt roads mixed with white sand under the scorching heat, Mr. Quy occasionally stopped his car next to the dry sugarcane fields from leaves to roots, with no hope of recovery.

Many areas of raw sugarcane in Tan Ky are dry and burnt due to prolonged hot weather. Photo: Xuan Hoang

At the sugarcane field of Mr. Nguyen Canh Thach's family in Ke Chieng hamlet (Dong Van commune), with an area of ​​5 sao, the sugarcane is as dry as straw. Mr. Thach said that the sugarcane field was planted in November last year, the sugarcane has grown long, thought to be able to withstand the drought, but unexpectedly almost all of it has burned. If there is no rain in another week, the sugarcane is at risk of being completely lost.

Mr. Dang Nhu Bac’s family, also in Ke Chieng hamlet, has a sugarcane area that is completely burnt and cannot be recovered. Mr. Bac said that there has never been a year where the intense heat has caused the sugarcane to die like this year, not only the company but also my family has suffered heavy losses.

Many families lost everything because the sugarcane dried up and died. Photo: Xuan Hoang

In previous years, heavy rains had fallen by mid-July, but this year there have been only a few light rains for two consecutive months, not enough to soak the ground. If the weather continues to be hot for the rest of July, all the trees and crops will die, meaning farmers will lose their crops, especially sugarcane.

Many sugarcane areas were damaged in Nghia Phuc. Photo: XH

Sugarcane is the main crop of the locality, but the prolonged heat like this has caused many areas of sugarcane to dry up. Currently, the commune is assigning the hamlets to count the new areas to have specific data. We, the people and the commune also hope that the province will declare a natural disaster so that we can receive some support.

Mr. Dinh Quang Hop - Vice Chairman of Dong Van Commune People's Committee

Solution to save?

According to Mr. Le Van Quy - agricultural officer of Song Con Sugarcane Joint Stock Company, in Dong Van commune, more than 6 hectares of sugarcane have dried up. In Tien Ky commune, over 50% of the sugarcane area has dried up. In addition, in other localities such as Nghia Phuc, Tan Hop, Giai Xuan, many areas of sugarcane grown on hilly land have also dried up.

Mr. Quy added that although it is hot and sunny, people cannot go to the fields to take care of the sugarcane, but each agricultural officer still has to stay in the fields every day. When the weather is cool, it is recommended that people remove old leaves to help the sugarcane grow taller, limit pests and white-backed planthoppers; at the same time, weed and hoe the base, there is no need to add fertilizer, because people have previously applied fertilizer when the sugarcane is just germinating. Currently, there are no worrying pests on the sugarcane, only a few areas are infected with low rates of planthoppers, and people have promptly handled them.

When the weather is cool and rainy, farmers need to peel off old sugarcane leaves, weed, and hoe the base of the sugarcane. Photo: Xuan Hoang

The agricultural staff must stay in the fields throughout the sugarcane growing period until harvest. Their main task is to mobilize people to plant new sugarcane and take care of sugarcane, and monitor the situation of sugarcane pests and diseases. For this year's sugarcane crop, the agricultural staff will have more difficulties and hardships, because the sugarcane area has decreased and the hot weather has lasted for a long time, causing sugarcane productivity to decrease. However, to ensure raw material output, the factory's agricultural staff must increase their stay in the fields and guide people to take care of sugarcane in a timely manner when the weather is favorable.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Quy - Deputy Director of Song Con Sugarcane Joint Stock Company

“According to the data reported by agricultural officers, by July 20, the sugarcane raw material area of ​​Song Con Sugarcane Joint Stock Company had more than 131 hectares of sugarcane dried up and died, over 200 hectares of sugarcane dried up and died from 30-45%. If the hot weather continues, the area of ​​sugarcane dried up and died will be larger, which means economic losses for sugarcane growers, and the factory will also reduce raw material output for the next pressing season,” said Mr. Nguyen Ba Quy.