Phan Rang Sugarcane Joint Stock Company: Attach special importance to sugarcane farmers supporting solutions for raising income

In consecutive three years, Phan Rang Sugarcane Joint Stock Company has faced a lot of difficulties because sugar price is decreased sharply. However, thanks to flexible investment, material purchase policies, application in line with each time, the objective “farmers benefit, the company gets profit” keeps secure.

In 2013-2014 sugarcane crop, the unit has invested roughly 45.2 billion dong with 939 farmer households of more than 3,000 ha. Due to hot weather, sugarcane productivity decreases, meanwhile, harvest, transport expenses increase highly, thus, sugarcane households bear a lot of damages. To ensure sugarcane farmers with income rise, the Company has added supporting policies in sugar storage, transhipment cost and harvest pay. Accordingly, total sugarcane output supports sugarcane storage of approximately 500 tons, relative to 97.4 million dong, supports harvest pay of 20-50 dong/kg relative to more than 1 billion dong; at the same time, bears all loading and transport expenses. Mr Tran Thanh Son, a sugarcane household in Quang Son Commune (Ninh Son), said: “The above action contributes in reducing production cost, raising income, creating sugarcane farmers’ belief and attachment to the Company.

Farmers in Phuoc Thanh Commune (Bac Ai) harvest sugar-cane. Picture: N.A.T

Not stopping, to develop sustainable sugarcane material area, the Company is very interested in agricultural promotion. In details, it has spent 2.1 billion dong in dealing with white leaf disease, buying seed, improving soil, digging pond for water storage and irrigation…These activities have changed seed conversion towards old seed reduction from 60% to 40%, increased sugarcane area with irrigation water from 1.500 ha to 1.790 ha. Mr Nguyen Duc Thoai, a typical sugarcane household in Quang Son Commune, said: “I have sugarcane cultivation experience of over 10 years, previously, the production was subject to natural water so the productivity was uncertain. In 2013-2014, Phan Rang Sugarcane Joint Stock Company has supported 5 million dong, thus, I has additional condition to dig pond for water storage serving 2-ha sugarcane production. Thanks to active irrigation, sugarcane productivity is up to 80 tons/ha, about double higher than natural water-based production.

Mr Nguyen Quoc Viet, Director of Phan Rang Sugarcane Joint Stock Company, said: “In the AFTA integration, commercial barriers will be removed in 2015, therefore, competitive pressure for sugarcane companies in the region is quite great. Facing the above challenges, the Company has active movements to respond right now. In 2014-2015, it has focused on speeding up agricultural promotion, supporting farmers in applying scientific-technical advances in sugarcane production in order to reduce investment expense, raise productivity. In present, the Company is deploying pilot model to 10 new seeds with 0.5 ha area at Mr Phan My’s household in Quang Son. Invest to 100 ha seed sugarcane to provide seed in 2015-2016 crop year. In some sugarcane areas in Phuoc Son (Bac Ai), My Son, Quang Son (Ninh Son), land-work, row splitting down seed, fertilizing, pesticide spraying…are performed by mechanism. Mr Cao Van Minh, in My Son, shared: “Previously, I spent 5 million dong/ha for ploughing, row splitting down seed, but only more than 2 million dongs by mechanism.

In 2014-2015, the Company is intended to invest 55.1 billion dong so that farmers produce 3,300 sugarcane ha. In addition to area extension, it also pays attention to specialized area construction, ensuring productivity, quality increase, production cost reduction and acquiring high economic efficiency, in which significantly brings science – technique into sugarcane cultivation. It has conducted sugarcane production linking model with ethnic minority people in Bac Ai District and brought mechanization into sugarcane production. With this method, many previously exhausted soil areas are brought into production, adding further income to the people, contributing in reducing local poor rate.

Mr Nguyen Quoc Viet added: “To prepare the harvest acquired high outcome of early sugarcane area in November, the Company is now enhancing its direction, supervision, control to invested area in the area. Build proper price policy, reasonable harvest chedule, give harvest coordination mechanism, prompt transport, favorable to sugarcane sellers, profitable for sugarcane households.

Anh Tung