Sugarcane fields bloom white flags, Que Phong farmers worried

On this occasion, going to the mountainous district of Que Phong, the most easily encountered image is the vast sugarcane fields, covered with white flags. Present at the sugarcane field in Hai Lam 1 village, Que Son commune (Que Phong), Mr. Nguyen Dang Thanh, a local resident, was sad: This year, I don't know why the sugarcane has been blooming all at once since mid-November. My sugarcane patch is nearly 1 hectare wide, now it is almost all blooming without the factory's order to harvest.

Many sugarcane fields in Que Phong district are blooming in the middle of the harvest season. Photo: Xuan Hoang

That is also the common sentiment of hundreds of sugarcane growing households in Que Son commune. According to the reporter's observation, this phenomenon is not only happening in Que Son commune but also in some other communes such as Tien Phong, Chau Kim, Muong Noc. Most people hope that the factory will buy early to limit the situation of sugarcane losing productivity and quality.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Chau - Chairman of Que Son Commune People's Committee said: The whole commune currently has 184.5 hectares of raw sugarcane, accounting for about 50% of the district's sugarcane area. The locality has not yet counted how many areas of sugarcane have flagged, but according to local people's reflection, this phenomenon has occurred in many areas since about a month ago. Like previous years, many areas of sugarcane have been harvested at this time, but this year, up to this time, the whole commune has only had 6 orders to purchase sugarcane from the factory with an area of ​​about 1.5 hectares.

Sugarcane has been flowering since November, causing productivity and quality to decrease. Photo: Quang An

According to a report from Que Phong district, the entire district has 340 hectares of sugarcane, mostly variety 10, which is ready for harvest.

Mr. Phan Trong Dung - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Que Phong district said: Up to this point, there are many areas of sugarcane that have flagged, but the factory has issued harvest orders very slowly. The district requested the factory to speed up the process of purchasing sugarcane for farmers, to avoid the situation of sugarcane flagging for a long time.

It is known that in recent years, the area of ​​sugarcane cultivation in Que Phong district has been decreasing due to low income of sugarcane growers. Local people said that not only has sugarcane blossomed, but the price of sugarcane this year has also decreased sharply compared to last year. Currently, the company is purchasing at 750,000 VND/ton (in 2017 it was 850,000 VND/ton)./.

People in Hai Lam 1 hamlet, Que Son commune are "impatient" because the sugarcane has bloomed but has not been harvested yet. Photo: Quang An

According to science, flagging is a physiological development process of plants in general and sugarcane in particular. However, in sugarcane production, flagging is a disadvantage because it limits height and reduces sugar content. If left for too long, sugarcane growers will lose more crops.