Bustling sugarcane planting season in the Western region of Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn) - After harvesting the last sugarcane crop, farmers in many localities continue to plant new sugarcane. Because of the large area and the inability to apply machinery thoroughly, the sugarcane planting service for hire is still widely used.
These days, all oversugarcane fieldsIn Tan Ky, Nghia Dan, and Quy Chau districts, people are busy harvesting sugarcane and planting new sugarcane. Because of the large area, it is not possible to thoroughly apply machinery and technology to the stages from land preparation, planting, and harvesting, so people are having to use a large force of unskilled labor for cultivation.
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| Mrs. Vinh's family in Dinh Tien village, Chau Hanh commune (Quy Chau) grows 3 hectares of sugarcane. Due to the small population, she has to hire people to grow sugarcane. Photo: Tien Dong |
The family of Mrs. Luong Thi Vinh, residing in Dinh Tien village, Chau Hanh commune (Quy Chau), is entering the sugarcane planting season. Mrs. Vinh's family planted 3 hectares of sugarcane. After finishing the last harvest, taking advantage of favorable weather, Mrs. Vinh had to hire people to work the land and plant new crops immediately to be on time for the season. After renting a plow to till the land, Mrs. Vinh had to hire up to 15 people for each hectare, not including family members to join in, to be able to complete the sugarcane planting.
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| People are busy growing sugarcane for hire for landowners. Photo: Tien Dong |
Ms. Hoang Thi Kieu, residing in Ke Ninh village, Chau Hanh commune, one of 15 members of the sugarcane planting team, said: Because her family has few fields, in her free time, she and her sisters in the village go to plant sugarcane for hire for the surrounding people. The group of 15 people divide the specific tasks, some carry fertilizer, some place sugarcane stubble, some fill soil, each day the wage is 160,000 VND/person.
Ms. Kieu also said that due to the timingharvestsugarcaneSugarcane planting is not carried out en masse at once, so the time for sugarcane planting for households that have completed 3 harvests is also spaced out, depending on the sugarcane cutting order from the sugar factory. That is why sugarcane planting for hire is also spread out more evenly. Since November last year, women in the village have started to go out to cut and plant sugarcane for hire.
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| Ms. Hoang Thi Kieu, one of the people who specialize in hiring sugarcane growers, said that depending on each field, the daily wage ranges from 160,000 VND to 180,000 VND. Photo: Tien Dong |
According to many people, planting sugarcane for hire takes a lot of time and effort. Because the sugarcane fields are spread over a large area, far from the main road, on the hillside, and require many steps, it is very hard. The "squad" of sugarcane for hire are mostly women, so it is even harder, especially having to move many times to spread fertilizer, put seeds and cover the soil.
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| Growing sugarcane for hire takes a lot of effort. Photo: Tien Dong |
Ms. Tam, residing in Hanh Tien village, Chau Hanh commune, both her husband and she work as a hired sugarcane grower. Ms. Tam said that unlike rice planting, corn planting, or peanut planting, sugarcane growing requires each step to be done in turn. First, carry the fertilizer to spread the base layer, then carry each bundle of sugarcane seeds to spread on the bed, then continue to cut the sugarcane seeds into small pieces, next is to apply synthetic fertilizer, and finally cover the soil. Because this planting process will directly affect the future development of the sugarcane, many homeowners require each step to be done carefully, otherwise the sugarcane will break and fall. That is why, although it is possible to use a machine to cover the soil, many households do not want to, because the machine will cause the sugarcane seedling roots to not be pressed tightly.
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| The hired sugarcane planting team of 15 people, along with the landowner's family, took 4 days to complete 1 hectare. Photo: Tien Dong |
According to the survey, the cost of sugarcane planting depends on each plot and area, ranging from 160,000 VND to 180,000 VND/day. In areas with convenient transportation and flat terrain, the price is lower, on the contrary, in areas with fragmented terrain, the cost is higher, sometimes up to 250,000 VND/person/day. Despite high wages, it is still difficult to find people to plant sugarcane for hire, especially at the time of mass harvesting of the last crop. Because the area is large and the team of sugarcane growers for hire is limited, not to mention that only people who live nearby will accept to work, while those who live far away, even if they pay high wages, are reluctant to travel.
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| The whole sugarcane planting team usually divides the work into specific tasks to finish early so they can go to work for another family. Photo: Tien Dong |
In Tan Ky, Nghia Dan, Quy Hop, Quy Chau districts... the sugarcane planting service has existed for a long time. Although it is hard work, if a family is diligent and willing to work with both husband and wife, they can earn 500,000 VND per day, which is not a small amount of money for farmers in mountainous areas. Not to mention, after planting, they are also hired to weed, fertilize, strip leaves, and even cut sugarcane. Therefore, even though they do not have land for production, in localities with large sugarcane areas, the hired labor force in sugarcane fields has gradually become professional, crowded, and bustling.