Developing sustainable sugarcane material area
According to sugarcane material area planning for processing factory, sugarcane area in the whole province is 3,400 ha now, expected to raise 5,000 ha until 2020. With the purpose of tending to sustainable production, the issue is to not only extend the scale but also replace old sugarcane variety by new one with higher productivity, boost up mechanization to create high competitive product.
However, the biggest difficulty in our province’s sugarcane production is to lack water for irrigation. According to the report from Agriculture – Rural Development sector, the remaining part is uncertain because it is dependent in natural water. This reason results in a fact that farmers bear damages due to the drought in any sugarcane years in which sugarcane burning risk always threatens. For example, in 2013-2014, farmers in the whole province grew 3,062 ha in which 70,4 ha are burnt. The above difficulty leads to low productivity, only acquired 50 tons/ ha in average while expenses on investment, labor-force for care, harvest are high so the profit decreased
Farmers in Phuoc Thanh Commune (Bac Ai) are harvesting sugarcane. Picture: Anh Tuan
To develop sustainable sugarcane material area, Agriculture – Rural Development sector has built the schedule of changing old sugarcane variety by new one with high productivity, sugar concentration. Accordingly, some new variety such as K88-92, K95-84, K95-156… are prioritized to arrange in water active lands, particularly for YM55-14 drought-resistant variety, it is brought into production in water-lacking lands. Promoting new variety into production increases productivity, contributing in raising value per production unit. In the last crop, farmers have cultivated about 1,800 ha of new variety, obtained 80 tons/ha.
In addition, the functional sector has given support policies so that farmers bring mechanization into production, reducing expenses in land-work, care and harvest. Up to now, from support capital of the National Agriculture Extension Center (NAEC), our province has supported 5 sugarcane hoists, 18 multi-functional earth-working machines at major areas of sugarcane development in the province such as Quang Son commune, My Son (Ninh Son), Phuoc Tien (Bac Ai). Moreover, in each crop year, Phan Rang Sugarcane Joint Stock Company has spent a given expense to support machinery purcjase for production. In details, in 2014-2015, the company invests more than 400 million dong to purchase double-row cultivating equipment and care equipment for farmers in Phuoc Tien (Bac Ai).
From successful performance of mechanization models in sugarcane production, it helps change farmers’ awareness, thought, method different from previous time. Not only major sugarcane area in Quang Son Commune, but also now, other sugarcane areas in Phuoc Tan Commune, Phuoc Tien (Bac Ai) have many households applying machinery into their fields instead of manual labor in production steps. Mr Huynh Huu Thanh, Phuoc Tien Commune, told: “I contract with Raglai farmers to produce more than 150 sugarcane ha. Previously, manual handling had very high expense, the sum for plough, seed, grass weeding, fertilizer was worth of about 10 million dong/ha. Since the machinery appears, it is simpler for me to produce sugarcane, the season is timely, labor cost decreased down 3.8 million dong/ha. Multi-functional machine has many advantages including compact design, little fuel consumption with 6 functions (remove root, dig bed, turn over grass, pull out soil, fertilize and earth up root), easy to use so a number of farmers hope to be supported further purchase by the Government.
Bringing mechanization into production is essential in the context that sugarcane industry is facing fierce competition. Mr Nguyen Quoc Viet, Director of Phan Rang Sugarcane Joint Stock Company, shared: “In the following years, sugarcane area will extend while labor-force is limited; therefore, mechanization is a solution the company pays attention. However, a current difficulty is that some households are not aware of mechanization benefits brought, if desired, they cannot afford machinery investment. In such fact, the company has a plan to establish mechanized fleet so that farmers hire to reduce input price.
According to Comrade Chau Thang Long, Vice Director of Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, industrial production associated with material area development is a factor decisive to the enterprise’s survival. To extend, develop sustainable sugarcane material area, the functional authority, Phan Rang Sugarcane Joint Stock Company need to facilitate, support sugarcane households to get profit, thence, the people will “have long-term attachment” to this plant.
Anh Tung
