Song Lam Sugarcane Joint Stock Company ensures sustainable sugarcane raw material areas

Checking the quality of sugarcane ready for harvest. Photo: Hoang Vinh

The sugarcane raw material area of ​​Song Lam Sugarcane Joint Stock Company in the crop year (2013 - 2014) reached 1,900 hectares, in 4 districts: Anh Son, Con Cuong, Tuong Duong and Thanh Chuong. The company aims to develop the raw sugarcane area to reach 2,200 - 2,500 hectares. The 2017 - 2018 crushing season achieved a total output of 91,166 tons of sugarcane; 2018 - 2019 reached 83,361 tons and the 2019 - 2020 crushing season is expected to reach about 65,000 tons.

To achieve that goal, during its operation, the Company always pays attention to and prioritizes investment in developing the sugarcane raw material area. Mr. Nguyen Khanh Hong - Director of the Sugar Factory, in charge of the raw material area, said: Over the past time, with the attention and support of all levels, sectors and the support of the people, the Company has developed synchronous technical infrastructure in the sugarcane raw material area, such as: The traffic system includes 20 km, building 2 bridges, spillways and drainage ditch systems to ensure requirements. Well developing the traffic system to the sugarcane fields dozens of kilometers away from the factory such as in Linh Son commune, Anh Son, Chau Khe commune (Con Cuong), Tam Quang commune (Tuong Duong), serving effectively in supporting people to bring mechanization into production, manage sugarcane harvesting and transport raw materials promptly and quickly.

In recent times, Song Lam Sugarcane Joint Stock Company is one of the units in Anh Son that has done a good job in developing the road system. Every year, the Company plans to prioritize 3 billion VND for the construction, maintenance, repair and upgrading of roads.
In addition to developing a large raw material area, the productivity and quality of sugarcane are always high and currently average 58 tons/ha. The result is the whole process of connection, cooperation and investment between relevant levels, sectors and factories together with sugarcane growers in applying scientific and technological advances in production.

To gradually create a set of high-quality sugarcane varieties, suitable for natural conditions and soil. For each new sugarcane crop, the Company brings in thousands of tons of new sugarcane varieties to plant and then multiply suitable plants. Currently, sugarcane growers are very successful with sugarcane varieties LK92 - 11, QD93 -159, ROC 16, KK3 special, sugarcane varieties LK92-11 and KK3 on high alluvial land, with a yield of 100 - 140 tons/ha.

High-yield sugarcane field in Thung Bung, Ha Du village, Cam Son commune, Anh Son district. Photo: Hoang Vinh

Every year, the Company invests and supports over 20 billion VND in capital for sugarcane growers to have capital to invest in production in the form of interest-free loans for seeds, fertilizers and plowing. Along with that, the Company coordinates with relevant sectors and units to provide specialized fertilizers for sugarcane, such as NPK compound fertilizers: 10 - 5 - 10, and at the same time, the Company invests in organic fertilizer production lines to promptly meet the needs of sugarcane growers. In addition to the active participation of technical staff, the Company regularly invites Agricultural Extension Centers and district agricultural officers to directly train and guide farmers on techniques for caring for and intensively cultivating sugarcane.

During the 2018-2019 sugarcane crop, the weather was complicated. In 2018, there was a lot of rain and storms, and hydroelectric plants discharged large amounts of floodwater, causing rivers to rise and last for many days, causing widespread flooding and landslides, resulting in the loss of a relatively large area of ​​sugarcane. In 2019, there was very little rainfall, many hours of sunshine, and many long, widespread heat waves, causing the sugarcane to burn and dry, slowing down the growth rate and reducing the area of ​​standing sugarcane.

High quality sugarcane varieties are grown on Anh Son sugarcane land. Photo: Hoang Vinh

In particular, in recent years (from crop year 2016 - 2017; 2017 - 2018; 2018 - 2019) in the sugarcane raw material area invested by Song Lam Sugarcane Joint Stock Company, unfair competition has occurred, but it has not been completely resolved. It is estimated that about 10,000 tons of sugarcane are lost each year. Although there has been intervention from authorities at all levels, this problem has not been resolved.

And now, preparing for the 2019 - 2020 crushing season, many traders (receiving money from other businesses in the same industry) have appeared, going to households to deposit money to continue purchasing sugarcane in the raw material area invested by Song Lam Sugarcane Joint Stock Company (causing the loss of a large amount of sugarcane, causing difficulties for management, disrupting production plans and causing great losses for the Company...).

Along with that, in some localities, the government has not really paid due attention to directing and directing the harvest and planting of sugarcane - one of the main crops that brings high economic efficiency to farmers. There is a shortage of labor in agriculture, first of all, sugarcane harvesting labor. Typically, in the 2018 - 2019 crushing season, finding labor to harvest sugarcane was really difficult, although the labor cost was quite high compared to other occupations.

Mr. Chu Ngoc Tu - General Director of Song Lam Sugar Joint Stock Company said: "Despite many difficulties, the Company is determined to develop the sugarcane growing area from 2,200 - 2,500 hectares and achieve a total output of 132,000 - 150,000 tons of sugarcane in the coming time; ensuring the factory's operating capacity according to the design of 1,500 tons of sugarcane/day. To achieve that goal, the Company really needs the attention and support of all levels and sectors, including the work of planning the stability of sugarcane raw material areas, preferential loan policies for sugarcane growers, attention to repairing and improving internal traffic, upgrading key routes for transporting raw sugarcane; reducing the burden of transportation for sugarcane growers.