Nghe An: Old sugarcane in the fields, not being purchased in time.
With sugarcane ripening in the fields, farmers in Nghe An are anxious because they haven't been able to harvest and sell it, while sugar companies claim that the farmers are not complying with their contracts.
Restless and anxious, waiting for the buyer to come.
Although it was possible to harvest sugarcane last November, Ms. Tran Thi Le in Vinh Hung village, Tam Dinh commune, Anh Son district, has only managed to cut and sell 1 hectare so far. Frustrated by the sugarcane showing signs of wilting, Ms. Le said: "This year's sugarcane crop is good, but if left for too long, the sugarcane will dry out, resulting in a 30-40% decrease in yield compared to nearly two months ago."
"Every year, by the 15th day of the first lunar month, the sugarcane is almost all harvested and sold, but this year it's too late. Not only will we lose productivity, but harvesting too late means that when the sugarcane sprouts and is exposed to the sun, it will wither, develop poorly, and yield less in the following season," Ms. Le said anxiously.
Not just this year, but for many years now, every sugarcane harvest season, chaotic situations of bidding wars, contract breaches, and disputes between sugar companies and farmers occur.
The alluvial plain along the Lam River in Tam Dinh commune has over 200 hectares of sugarcane plantations, belonging to the raw material area of Song Lam Sugarcane Joint Stock Company. To date, 145 hectares have been harvested; however, only nearly 100 hectares have been purchased by the company, forcing farmers to sell the rest elsewhere.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Que, Chairman of the Tam Dinh Commune People's Committee, the people are anxious because their sugarcane has passed its harvest time by several months but has still not been purchased, leading to farmers trying to sell it elsewhere. The factory's purchasing process is slow and sporadic; within the same area, some households have had their sugarcane purchased a month ago, while others haven't even harvested yet. Sometimes, harvested sugarcane has to be left in storage for 3-4 days before being loaded, and at the factory, there is also a backlog of 3-4 days before the goods can be unloaded.
Currently, nearly 60 hectares of remaining sugarcane are being purchased sporadically and in small quantities, causing great anxiety among farmers because the longer the sugarcane remains in the ratoons, the lower the sugar content and the higher the fees for impurities.
A similar situation is occurring in the raw material areas of Song Con Sugar Corporation. Duc Son commune (Anh Son district) currently has nearly 100 hectares of sugarcane. Mr. Tran Van Huy, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, said: "The people have been involved in growing sugarcane for the factory for more than 10 years. Competition in buying and selling sugarcane has occurred before, but this year is the most intense. With this area, the sugarcane yield per harvest is about 6,000 tons. This year, the company committed to buying all the sugarcane from the farmers by the end of March, but by the beginning of March, they had only bought from 20 hectares. People are worried that the factory will not be able to buy all the sugarcane before the committed deadline."
If the sugarcane were healthy and standing upright, the farmers wouldn't be so worried, but this year the rats have caused too much damage, and in low-lying areas, the sugarcane plants have fallen over. Currently, Duc Son has harvested over 60 hectares of sugarcane, of which about 30% has been sold to private traders.
Mr. Tran Van Huy - Chairman of the People's Committee of Duc Son Commune, Anh Son District
A solution that harmonizes and balances interests is needed.
Anh Son district has nearly 1,200 hectares of sugarcane, of which 980 hectares belong to the raw material area of Song Lam Sugarcane Joint Stock Company, and the remaining more than 200 hectares belong to Song Con Sugarcane Joint Stock Company. According to Mr. Nguyen Huu Cuong - Deputy Head of the Agriculture and Resources Department of the district: Although there are purchase contracts, there is still a lack of real connection between the businesses and the farmers, and the sustainability and legal aspects of the contracts are not being fully adhered to.
This situation is partly due to the fact that the processing capacity of the factories is insufficient; investing in increasing capacity is beyond the capabilities of the businesses. Meanwhile, the procurement methods still have shortcomings, causing discomfort for the people. Businesses need to develop public and transparent procurement plans and strictly implement the issuance of harvest orders to each region and each household in a reasonable manner.
Given the current situation, Mr. Phan Van Hoa, Deputy Director of Song Lam Sugar Corporation, stated: The sugarcane harvest season lasts at least until the 15th day of the third lunar month every year; the company's crushing season, which coincides with the sugarcane purchasing period, also begins from the end of November 2024 to April 30, 2025. Since it's only mid-March, it's too early to say that the factory is not meeting its purchasing deadline.
“Our annual production period is 120-140 days; we can't just focus on crushing for a few months and then stop. To ensure a reasonable supply of raw materials, the company has arranged for the planting of early-ripening, medium-ripening, and late-ripening varieties. In particular, some sugarcane varieties like LK9211 can be left until May or June without flowering, the leaves remain green, and yield is not affected. However, the current pressure on us is that all farmers want to harvest before Tet (Lunar New Year), leading to comparisons between households and resulting in selling sugarcane elsewhere, causing insecurity in the raw material supply area,” Mr. Hoa shared.
According to Mr. Hoa, for the 2024-2025 crushing season, the company started purchasing sugarcane a month earlier than the 2023-2024 season, even though the sugar content was still low. Therefore, all the sugarcane will be purchased by around March 30th. However, Mr. Hoa also admitted that there are still shortcomings in the purchasing process.
The company's guiding principle is to implement a staggered harvesting schedule based on the proportion of sugarcane acreage in each commune, making it easier for farmers to care for, invest in, harvest, and transport the crop. However, during implementation, because the agricultural staff, in coordination with village heads (usually the representatives who sign the contracts), are responsible, there may be instances of non-compliance. Learning from this experience, in the future, when signing contracts, we will sign directly with each household, explaining each content and clause in detail so that farmers understand clearly, and strictly implementing the purchasing plan to ensure fairness and equity for farmers.
Mr. Phan Van Hoa - Deputy Director of Song Lam Sugar Corporation
Recently, a similar situation has occurred in the raw material area of the Song Con Sugar Factory in Tan Ky district, where the enterprise has only purchased 48-55% of the total standing sugarcane area. In particular, key communes such as Giai Xuan, Tan Xuan, and Tan Hop have only reached 50%. In response to this situation, the Tan Ky District People's Committee has issued a directive and requested the enterprise to expedite the purchase of sugarcane from local farmers.
