Lang Khe in the season of bitter sugarcane

(Baonghean.vn) - The villagers hadn't even had time to celebrate the thriving sugarcane crop when a drought caused dozens of hectares to wither and die. This is the situation facing sugarcane farmers in Lang Khe commune, Con Cuong district. During the recent heatwave, over 30 hectares out of a total of 76 hectares of sugarcane in the commune suffered severe damage.

Large sugarcane fields in Yen Hoa village are at risk of total crop failure.

This was the first time Ms. Ha Thi Thuan, residing in Yen Hoa village (Lang Khe - Con Cuong), cultivated sugarcane. Due to the limited land owned by her family, she and her husband only planted sugarcane on 1,700 square meters. Because the family's land was limited, she and her husband only planted it on 1,700 square meters.²Sugarcane. Like other sugarcane farmers in the village, her family had to cross steep hills and mountains to transport sugarcane seedlings for planting. The mountain roads were so treacherous that each truck could only carry half a ton of seedlings, while one sao (1000m²) was enough for one sao.² According to local custom, 2.5 tons of sugarcane seedlings are needed. It took Thuần's family 5-6 trips to transport enough sugarcane for planting. In addition, sugarcane growers also have to invest money in fertilizer, costing 900,000 VND per 1000m² plot.²The cost of renting machinery for tilling the land was also nearly half a million dong. The total cost for each plot of sugarcane is approximately over 4 million dong.

Ms. Thuan was very enthusiastic about this sugar-producing crop. She said this was the first time a business had invested in the people's production and signed a contract to purchase the entire crop. "They even built roads into the raw material area, so the people were very happy," Ms. Thuan shared. However, the villagers' joy was short-lived. Just as the sugarcane plants reached chest height, a prolonged heatwave hit. For over two months, there was not a single drop of rain, causing significant damage to crops, with sugarcane being the hardest hit. Large areas withered and could not recover. According to Ms. Thuan, if it had rained, the 1700m²²The family's newly planted sugarcane can now recover about one-third of its original yield.

Ms. Kha Thi Lan (Yen Hoa Village - Lang Khe) stands in front of her dying sugarcane field.

According to information from the Yen Hoa village management board (Lang Khe district), there are currently 12.4 hectares of sugarcane in the area. Due to the recent prolonged heatwave, half of this area has withered, with very little chance of recovery. We met Ms. Kha Thi Lan standing dejectedly beside her 1000m sugarcane field.²"The sugarcane is drying up in the scorching sun," she said. "My family planted this sugarcane field late. It's 3000 square meters."²The situation is similar for Mr. Ngan Van Sao's family. According to Mr. Lo Van Toan, the sugarcane fields that suffered heavy damage were all planted after Tet (Lunar New Year). The plants hadn't had time to mature before they had to endure the longest heatwave in history. Also in Yen Hoa village, about 30 hectares of cassava belonging to local people also withered and died due to the heat.

Ban Chom Lom is the area with the largest sugarcane crop affected by the prolonged heatwave.

The area with the most severe damage to sugarcane was Chôm Lôm village. Mr. Lương Văn Tuyến, a sugarcane farmer in the village, said his family cultivated two sugarcane fields, with a total area of ​​6,500 square meters. Mr. Lương Văn Tuyến, a sugarcane farmer in the village, said his family planted two sugarcane fields, with a total area of ​​6,500 square meters.²The sugarcane crop was completely scorched. And it's not just Mr. Tuyen's family; in Chom Lom village, half of their 53 hectares of sugarcane are at risk of total loss. Mr. Phan Dinh Hai, Head of the Agriculture Committee of Lang Khe commune, said: Currently, the entire Lang Khe commune has 76.5 hectares of sugarcane. Of that, over 30 hectares are beyond recovery. The heatwave also severely affected 76 hectares, with damage reaching 70%. In addition, 10 hectares of corn in the entire commune were completely destroyed.

Facing already difficult economic conditions, sugarcane cultivation was once a beacon of hope for poverty alleviation for the local people, but the severe drought seems to have made that hope even more fragile.

Ha Phuong