Sugarcane growers in Tan Ky face difficulties

(Baonghean) -The recent decline in sugar prices has had a strong impact on the profits of sugar factories, but sugarcane growers in Tan Ky are currently facing two difficulties. On the one hand, the slow harvest of sugarcane will reduce output, on the other hand, the prolonged drought has caused many newly planted sugarcane areas to not sprout, and the sugarcane left unattended will be delayed in the season.

Walking through the sugarcane fields of Tan Ky district in the middle of April, besides the sugarcane with sprouted roots, there are still many areas of sugarcane that have not been harvested. Stopping to chat with some sugarcane growers, they disagree with the current way of calculating the excessive deduction of impurities of the sugar factory. Mr. Hung, in Doi Che hamlet, Giai Xuan commune, said: "I sold 3 trucks of sugarcane, nearly 40 tons. Unlike previous years, the factory only deducted 50 kg for each truck, this year the factory deducted 3 tons for 3 trucks, while the selling price of sugarcane was lower than last year". Asked why the factory deducted so much? Mr. Hung replied that he did not know! Sugarcane farmers borrowed fertilizer from the factory, now the factory has to bear the consequences.

Mr. Truong Van Chat - Head of Doi Che Hamlet, said: The fact that the factory deducted from 700 kg to 1 ton from each truck is true. The factory did not explain the reason to the people, so the sugarcane growers are very upset. Moreover, the factory is slow in purchasing sugarcane, so many areas of sugarcane, although they have flowered and withered, have not been harvested. The longer it is left, the lower the sugarcane yield will be, especially this year with the prolonged drought and lack of water, so the sugarcane plants are gradually drying up. Doi Che Hamlet has 90 hectares of sugarcane, and by April 11, only 70 hectares have been harvested. People are waiting every day for the factory to set a harvest date.

Mr. Truong Van Chat's family's 8 sao of sugarcane have not been harvested yet.

Mr. Chat has 8 sao of sugarcane, last year he finished harvesting by April 10, but this year he is still "inactive". For unknown reasons, in March and April, the factory only arranged to buy 1 truck of sugarcane for the village each day. While the sugarcane was slow to be harvested, many newly planted areas of sugarcane due to the prolonged drought from before Tet until now could not sprout. For example, after Tet, Mr. Chat's family planted 5 sao of sugarcane, but until now most of it has not sprouted.

Mr. Nguyen Van Lien, Head of the Agriculture Department of Giai Xuan Commune, added: The whole commune planted 300 hectares of new sugarcane this year, but 100 hectares in the highlands did not germinate because the soil was too dry. For the areas of sugarcane left at the base, due to lack of rain, farmers have not been able to plow to fertilize the sugarcane. The factory's slow purchase of sugarcane, combined with the drought, has caused sugarcane growers to suffer double losses. The ongoing difficulties facing sugarcane growers will lead to a decrease in the 2014 sugarcane crop's yield.

Many newly planted sugarcane areas in Giai Xuan commune cannot sprout.
due to drought

Talking to the leaders of Song Con Sugarcane Company, Mr. Nguyen Ba Quy - Deputy Director of the Company, said: The psychology of sugarcane growers is not wanting to harvest sugarcane at the beginning of the season and also not wanting to harvest sugarcane at the end of the season. Because if harvesting at the beginning of the season, sugarcane yield will decrease, because the sugarcane stalks are still developing; if left until the end of the season, the sugarcane will flower, the sugarcane stalks will be spongy, and the yield will also decrease. Therefore, only in the middle of the season, people will rush to harvest. At that time, it will inevitably create pressure on the factory, because the factory's capacity is limited. The growth cycle of sugarcane is 12 months, so agricultural staff rely on reality to arrange sugarcane harvest appropriately. Except for families in difficult circumstances, the factory also creates conditions for early harvesting. And areas of sugarcane that have been left for 3 years are also harvested early for replanting.

The reason why people are upset because the factory deducts a lot is because: In previous years, sugar prices were high, so the factory created conditions for sugarcane growers to benefit. This year, sugar prices have dropped sharply, forcing the factory to apply the correct impurity deduction rate according to the standards of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The company has directed agricultural officers to be responsible for propagating this to sugarcane growers to understand.

The company's plan is to finish the crushing season by the end of April. But according to the company's leadership report, as of April 12, there were still 900 hectares of sugarcane (the company's total raw sugarcane area is 6,414 hectares) that had not been harvested, equivalent to nearly 50,000 tons of sugarcane. If the factory operates at full capacity (3,000 tons of sugarcane/day), it will be harvested by the end of the month. But if the company purchases in a "drip" manner as in the past, the crushing time will be longer, which means that sugarcane growers will suffer even more.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Thuc - Head of the Tan Ky District Agriculture Department, said: To create trust for sugarcane growers, Song Con Sugar Company needs to speed up the process of purchasing sugarcane from farmers. Currently, there are still nearly 1,000 hectares of sugarcane that have not been harvested, combined with the ongoing drought, the productivity of that area will certainly decrease next season. Not to mention about 400 hectares of newly planted sugarcane due to drought, making it difficult to sprout. The decrease in sugar prices is due to the influence of the world market, the problem is that the factory and local authorities together with the people need to coordinate and share to overcome difficulties.

Xuan Hoang