Tan Ky: Consolidating and reallocating land plots to develop sugarcane raw material areas.

(Baonghean) - In Tan Ky district, some communes have created large sugarcane fields through land conversion, yielding high productivity of 100-120 tons/ha.

Giai Xuan is a key sugarcane-growing commune in Tan Ky district. Located in the highlands, the commune has uneven fields with many different plots of land, and the transportation infrastructure is not conducive to the transport of agricultural products. Based on this reality, Giai Xuan commune has devised innovative approaches that suit the aspirations of its people.

The commune also allocated 169 million VND to rent excavators, tractors, and other equipment to level the fields and install two rows of drainage pipes to prevent flooding. The people contributed 1,231 man-days of labor to renovate nine internal field roads to facilitate agricultural production. On over 117 hectares of sugarcane fields spread across seven areas, Giai Xuan commune renovated the land, removing all field boundaries and replacing them with concrete markers like these to delineate the plots. From 1,016 plots, after land consolidation and exchange, only 329 plots remain, a reduction of 678 plots.

Following land consolidation, Song Con Sugar Company introduced mechanization into sugarcane production in Giai Xuan - Tan Ky. Photo: Phuong Thao

Mr. Nguyen Huu Trien, Vice Chairman of the Giai Xuan Commune People's Committee, added: "To date, the fields are flat, making mechanization easier, and the people are all enthusiastic. After land consolidation and exchange, we have planned the internal field transportation system, organized plot division, and proceeded to allocate land to households under the supervision of the people, ensuring objectivity, democracy, and widespread public support. Currently, with over 117 hectares of land consolidated and exchanged, we are investing in encouraging people to plant sugarcane in concentrated areas to create linkages with businesses to ensure a stable and long-term market for sugarcane."

The benefits brought to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa's family in Van Long hamlet, Giai Xuan commune since land consolidation and reallocation include a flat area of ​​cultivated land, facilitating the introduction of mechanization into production, reducing investment costs, and reducing labor by 30-40%.

Previously, for each sugarcane planting season on a 1-hectare plot, Ms. Hoa's family had to hire 40 laborers, each costing between 150,000 and 200,000 VND; totaling 6 million VND for labor. Now, thanks to the application of mechanization in production, her family only spends 4 million VND, saving 2 million VND and completing the work in one day. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa happily shared: "Before, my family had 4 plots of land, but now we've converted them into one, which is much more convenient for production and significantly less strenuous."

Thanks to the effective land consolidation in Tan Ky district, Song Con Sugar Company has provided support to farmers with fertilizers, seeds, and 4 million VND/hectare, and committed to purchasing sugarcane at a price approximately 10% higher. Nghia Dong commune is also a locality that has done well in land consolidation and exchange, and in bringing sugarcane to the fields. Sugarcane in Nghia Dong, grown on rice paddy land, yields high productivity and efficiency, especially when farmers apply mechanization and invest in intensive farming. Sugarcane yield averages 80 tons/hectare, with some households achieving 90 tons/hectare. The land in Nghia Dong has sufficient moisture due to the irrigation system and is flat, so sugarcane thrives.

The entire Nghia Dong commune has 960 hectares of cultivated land. After land consolidation and exchange, the average size of each plot ranges from 1,000 to 3,000 square meters, with each household owning only 1 to 1.3 plots. Nghia Dong commune's approach stems from the people's benefit. Seeing the advantages of land consolidation and exchange, the people voluntarily contributed labor and resources, successfully completing the project. Crop yields such as rice, corn, and sugarcane in Nghia Dong commune consistently meet and exceed planned targets. Before land consolidation and exchange, the commune's annual food production was 4,800 tons; now it reaches 6,200 tons, an increase of 1,400 tons. Sugarcane yields, which were previously only 50 tons/ha, have now increased to 80 tons/ha.

Mr. Ngo Xuan Nghia, Secretary of the Party Committee of Nghia Dong commune, affirmed: "After land consolidation and reallocation, the locality has transformed the crop structure to suit local conditions, bringing efficiency, especially the application of mechanization in production with 3-disc tillage machines. At the same time, Song Con Sugar Company has also stayed close to the locality and the people to train them on new intensive farming applications and techniques, and provided loans to people to buy machinery for sugarcane production."

Introducing mechanization into sugarcane production in Tan Ky. Photo: Phuong Thao

Tan Ky District has identified land consolidation and exchange as a crucial step in building concentrated commodity production areas, a decisive factor in promoting sustainable development of local agriculture. Following the principle of avoiding scattered and prolonged implementation, and allocating land for production to farmers as soon as land consolidation and exchange is completed, Tan Ky District has promptly allocated over 400 million VND from the province to support localities in accelerating the land consolidation and exchange process.

To date, localities throughout the district have consolidated and exchanged 1,872 hectares of land, achieving over 98% of the plan. Several communes such as Nghia Dong, Nghia Dung, Nghia Thai, Nghia Hop, Tan Long... have completed land consolidation and exchange and field restructuring. Alongside land consolidation and exchange, the internal field transportation system serving production has been well implemented by localities; to date, the entire district has completed 20 km of wide internal field roads with widths ranging from 6 to 8 meters.

Thai sugarcane yields reach 100 tons/hectare in Tan Xuan - Tan Ky. (Photo: Chau Lan)

Mr. Nguyen Ba Thuc, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Tan Ky district, said: “Currently, Tan Ky has established three large-scale model sugarcane fields in Giai Xuan, Tan Xuan, and Nghia Dong communes; each field is at least 50 hectares, and up to 120 hectares. Song Con Sugarcane Joint Stock Company actively supports the communes in road construction, plowing costs, seeds, and provides loans to farmers for sugarcane planting, with repayment only after harvesting. The district has organized workshops with the communes on the effectiveness of these large-scale model sugarcane fields in the area and will continue to expand them in the future.”

However, with nearly 6,000 hectares of sugarcane fields, large-scale sugarcane fields in Tan Ky are still relatively few, and the factory and local authorities are continuing to expand these models in the future.

Phuong Thao