Low sugarcane prices make farmers reluctant to invest and care for the crop.

(Baonghean) -Sugarcane prices are lower than last year while investment costs for sugarcane have increased, causing many sugarcane growers in Con Cuong and Anh Son to not want to invest in sugarcane...

It is known that in sugarcane production, “sugar content” is very important, it is a measure and determines the purchase value; the higher the sugar content, the higher the price of sugarcane. However, many sugarcane growers still do not care about sugar content, because many sugarcane fields have increased sugar content but still lose money because of low sugarcane prices.

For a long time, Hamlet 2/9, Chau Khe Commune - Con Cuong has been considered the best place for intensive sugarcane cultivation in the raw material area of ​​Song Lam Sugarcane Joint Stock Company. However, in recent years, sugarcane growers have not been interested in investing in sugarcane. We went to Hamlet 2/9, and when we looked closely, we saw that most of the sugarcane fields had stunted stalks.

Ms. Phan Thi Ly in village 2/9 said: My family grows 8 sao of sugarcane, but because the sugar price is low this year, the price of sugarcane is low, so the last sugarcane crop was a loss. Specifically, 8 sao/30 tons of sugarcane, the sugar content is only 8 CCS, so the price is only low at 800,000 VND/ton of sugarcane. According to Ms. Ly, to invest in 1 sao of sugarcane, it takes more than 60 kg of urea, over 150 kg of NPK fertilizer, but she only invested 20 kg of urea and over 60 kg of NPK fertilizer/sao. This year, the investment in fertilizer is less than in previous crops and the drought is prolonged, so the sugarcane yield will be low next crop.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thin is cultivating sugarcane and confides: “According to regulations, 3 sao of sugarcane must be fertilized with 3 doses of fertilizer and 2 doses of nitrogen at this point, but we have only been able to “drip” fertilize NPK a total of 2 times, about 40 kg of NPK fertilizer/sao, and fertilize 1 dose of nitrogen 15 kg, and the rest is supplemented with manure. Although we know that investing in the right sugarcane process will give high productivity, we are still afraid that the price of sugarcane will be low, and that even if we invest, we will still lose money.”

Lu Thi Hoi and her husband in Boong village, Lang Khe commune (Con Cuong) take care of sugarcane.

Ms. Lu Thi Hoi in Boong village, Lang Khe commune - Con Cuong said: In the last sugarcane crop, her family grew 2 sao and got 7 tons of sugarcane, the sugar content reached 9.2 CCS, the factory bought it for 860,000 VND/ton. The sugarcane is now 5 months old, normally it is necessary to rake the leaves and mound the beds 3 times to make the sugarcane beds airy, the sugarcane grows quickly, and reduce pests and diseases, but most people here only rake the leaves and mound the beds once, this method reduces investment costs, because each time the beds are raked, fertilizer is applied once. As for Ms. Hoi, she did not fertilize with nitrogen for the whole sugarcane crop but used that nitrogen to invest in 3 sao of rice.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh - Chairman of Chau Khe Commune People's Committee added: Chau Khe has 94 hectares of sugarcane, the commune has long identified sugarcane as the main crop, due to low sugarcane prices, many people do not dare to invest in sugarcane. The commune has a recommendation that to stabilize sugarcane, there needs to be more policies. In particular, the sugar factory needs to invest in building raw material roads so that people can conveniently harvest sugarcane and invest in care. The consumption stage needs to ensure a profitable price frame for sugarcane growers.

In Anh Son, people have invested very little in this sugarcane crop. Mr. Ho Nhuong in Thanh Son commune (Anh Son) said: "My family alone grows 7 sao of sugarcane, but this crop has not received a loan from the factory to buy fertilizer. The price of sugarcane in the previous crop decreased, and investment capital is limited, so my family does not dare to invest heavily in care." It is known that Thanh Son commune has over 120 hectares of sugarcane, and this crop many people have not received loans from the sugar factory to buy fertilizer to care for their sugarcane. Compared to rice and other crops, sugarcane is a long-growing crop, and it takes a whole year to harvest, while income is not stable, so farmers are looking forward to investment from the sugar factory.

Mr. Le Dinh Vinh - Deputy Head of the Agriculture Department of Con Cuong district added: The whole Con Cuong district has over 300 hectares of sugarcane concentrated in the communes of Chau Khe, Lang Khe, Chi Khe... For a long time, Song Lam Sugarcane Joint Stock Company has only supported microbial fertilizers produced by the factory, while many households are in need of investment capital loans to invest in production such as buying more fertilizers, money for plowing the land, money for buying pesticides... Not to mention that the Con Cuong sugarcane area needs the factory to invest in raw material transportation.

Mr. Tran Dinh Duc - Director of Song Lam Sugarcane Joint Stock Company said: Up to now, the company's raw material area has over 1,700 hectares of sugarcane. In the 2012-2013 crushing season, due to low sugar prices, the company encountered many difficulties. In the 2013-2014 sugarcane season, the company made efforts to lend the raw material area over 11 billion VND for a term of 1 year with an interest rate of less than 10%/year, and provided non-refundable support of 200 tons of fertilizer for sugarcane growers. However, it has not been possible to invest widely.

Currently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has required all sugar factories nationwide to buy sugarcane based on sugar content. Therefore, if the quality of sugarcane is improved, sugarcane growers will make a profit. Sugar factories need to actively support sugarcane growers, such as preferential loans, stable purchasing and offering stable prices for 3 consecutive years, at the same time investing in science and technology, introducing new varieties for testing... so that people have the conditions and peace of mind to invest and take care of sugarcane to increase productivity.

Vuong Tran