Song Con Sugarcane Joint Stock Company: Coping with the situation of reduced raw materials

Sugarcane growing area decreased

According to the report of Song Con Sugarcane Joint Stock Company, in the 2019-2020 sugarcane crop, the area of ​​raw sugarcane decreased compared to the previous crop. In particular, the newly planted area only reached about 50% of the plan. The main reason is that the price of sugarcane in the past year has decreased sharply, from over 900 VND/kg to over 730 VND/kg, causing low profits for sugarcane growers.

Through calculations, the income from sugarcane reaches an average of 40 - 45 million VND/ha/year, while the cost of fertilizer, seeds, land preparation, harvesting, etc. is high, so the profit is only half.

Sugarcane is the main crop of most communes in Tan Ky district. Photo: Xuan Hoang

In recent years, the development of industrial zones has attracted a large labor force from agriculture to industry, leading to a labor shortage, especially during the sugarcane planting and harvesting season. The labor shortage has led to increased labor costs.

In localities, the cost of cutting and weeding sugarcane is currently from 170,000 - 200,000 VND/day, especially during harvest season, because it takes a lot of effort to cut, bundle, carry, transport... making the cost higher. This cost accounts for 20 - 25% of the total income from growing sugarcane, causing many sugarcane growing households to have low profits, while sugarcane productivity is not high.

Although in recent years, localities have paid attention to planning concentrated sugarcane growing areas, intensive cultivation to increase productivity, and applying scientific and technological advances, most production is still small-scale, fragmented, and mainly household-scale production (on average, each sugarcane growing household currently has only 0.3 - 0.5 hectares).

Some households in Tan Ky district invest in drip irrigation systems for sugarcane. Photo: Xuan Hoang

There are also a number of reasons why it is difficult to expand the area of ​​raw sugarcane, such as limited mechanization in production, which can only be applied in the land preparation and transportation stages, leading to high costs of harvesting and loading. Unusual weather, floods, prolonged drought, pests and diseases, etc. affect the growth and development of sugarcane, and many sugarcane areas have been cultivated for many years without crop rotation.

Focus on increasing productivity and quality

Difficulties in expanding area, improving productivity and quality of raw sugarcane are considered the most practical and effective solution for Song Con Sugarcane Joint Stock Company at present, when the average sugarcane yield of the company's raw material area, although the highest in the province, only reaches an average of 57 - 60 tons/ha.

Farmers in Thong Nhat hamlet, Tan Phu commune, Tan Ky district take care of sugarcane fields focusing on applying science and technology. Photo: Document

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuat, a farmer in Mai Tan hamlet, Nghia Hoan commune (Tan Ky), said: Previously, the locality had a large labor force, so his family rented land in Thanh Chuong, Anh Son, Tan Ky to grow up to 70 hectares of sugarcane. However, due to the difficulties of the rural labor force in recent years, along with low sugarcane prices, this year his family only planted 21 hectares in Tan Ky district. With a lot of experience in intensive sugarcane cultivation, Mr. Tuat's family's entire sugarcane area has developed well.

After many years of growing sugarcane, despite growing on a large area, every year his sugarcane yields an average of 90 tons/ha. This year, he has reduced the area to 21 hectares near his home, so he has the conditions to invest and take care of it. His sugarcane yield is expected to reach 110 tons/ha. "Sugarcane growers now have the advantage of being accompanied by the company, lending fertilizer, supporting land preparation machines, seeds... Therefore, people have the conditions to increase productivity to make a profit.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuat shared

Tan Ky farmers grow sugarcane by machine. Photo: Document

In recent years, communes in Tan Ky district have implemented 30 intensive farming models to increase sugarcane productivity on an area of ​​3 hectares or more, especially 3 concentrated sugarcane growing models of 50 hectares in Tan Xuan, Giai Xuan, and Nghia Hoan communes. The main models are intercropping, deep plowing, double row planting, planting new sugarcane varieties, etc. Sugarcane productivity in the models is expected to reach over 80 tons/ha, with a maximum of 120 tons/ha.

Every year, the company continues to test new sugarcane varieties to monitor and evaluate their adaptability to soil and climate conditions, their resistance to pests and diseases, and their productivity as a basis for selecting good varieties to improve the productivity and quality of raw sugarcane areas.

The company issues investment policies to develop raw material areas in each crop year. In particular, it supports people to develop acreage, accumulate land, build intensive farming models, plant new crops, prepare land, supply organic mineral fertilizers and other materials; take care of sugarcane with roots; provide deferred fertilizer loans... support the repair and investment of internal roads, transportation roads, and commit to the average raw sugarcane purchase price not being lower than the domestic purchase price. Currently, Song Con Sugarcane Joint Stock Company has implemented advanced raw sugarcane intensive farming models with a yield of over 100 tons/ha, adjusting the structure and variety sets with high yield and quality with the main varieties being LK9211, AK9, K2000, SQD21, Roc 10, Viet Duong... These sugarcane varieties, if cared for in an intensive manner, will reach over 100 tons/ha.

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

Sugarcane harvest in Tan Ky. Photo: Document

Mr. Quy added: From the effectiveness of intensive farming models to increase productivity in models with productivity reaching over 80 tons/ha, Song Con Sugarcane Joint Stock Company is currently continuing to coordinate with localities to build large fields to produce raw sugarcane. The Company's coordination and sharing will reduce pressure on sugarcane growers when the sugarcane purchase price in the market nationwide tends to decrease.

During the period of prolonged sunny weather, Song Con Sugarcane Joint Stock Company encourages sugarcane growers to use pumps to bring water from ponds, lakes, rivers and streams to prevent drought for sugarcane. At the same time, it instructs farmers on how to prevent white cotton aphids, because currently, some sugarcane areas in Tan Hop, Giai Xuan, Tan Xuan... have seen a low incidence of white cotton aphids.