Sugarcane farmers excited about the new crop

Sugar factories and sugarcane farmers in the area have entered the harvest and production season of 2023-2024. With high sugarcane purchase prices, most farmers are happy because they make a profit.

Sugarcane purchase price up to more than 1.3 million VND/ton

From mid-December 2023, households will begin harvesting sugarcane to sell to factories and traders. According to some farmers, the yield of early-season sugarcane can reach 60-65 tons/ha for sugarcane that has been replanted for 4-5 years or more, and for newly planted sugarcane or sugarcane that has been harvested for 1-2 years, it can reach about 80-90 tons/ha.

If sugarcane with high sugar content is sold according to the regulations of the factories that have previously signed contracts, the purchase price can be over 1.3 million VND/ton, while sugarcane with low sugar content and sold to outside traders will cost about 1.1 million VND/ton.

Farmers in Son Phuoc commune (Son Hoa district) harvest sugarcane. Photo: KHANG ANH

Mr. Doan Quoc Danh (Da Mai village, Son Thanh Tay commune, Tay Hoa district) said that this year he planted 10 hectares of sugarcane, of which he had contracted to supply 4 hectares to the factory. The amount of sugarcane contracted to supply to the factory has not been harvested because it has not reached the sugar content. Currently, he is only harvesting the remaining sugarcane area, selling it to traders for about 1.1 million VND/ton.

Mr. Thai Van Hung, Deputy General Director of Tuy Hoa Sugarcane Joint Stock Company said: To help farmers conveniently plant and care for sugarcane, the company has supported them with irrigation systems, applying new technology and science to increase productivity and quality of sugarcane.

The company's sugarcane harvest time this crop year starts from December 16, 2023. Up to now, the company has purchased and pressed nearly 80,000 tons of sugarcane. Right from the beginning of the harvest season, we informed farmers that the purchase price of raw sugarcane with investment is 1.23 million VND/ton of sugarcane with 10 sugar content in the field on the means of transport; plus transit support, contract completion bonuses, etc., the total sugarcane purchase price of the company is 1.33 million VND/ton of clean sugarcane with 10 sugar content in the field.

In the 2023-2024 pressing season, KCP Vietnam Industrial Company Limited (Son Hoa district) continues to have preferential investment policies such as non-refundable support for new planting, irrigation systems, mechanization and interest rate exemptions... for farmers, estimated at about 60 billion VND.

KCP Vietnam Industrial Co., Ltd. also invested 430 billion VND in the raw material area with an area of 23,000 hectares. The company announced the sugarcane purchase price is 1.33 million VND/ton of sugarcane in the field. This crop year, the company plans to crush about 1.3 million tons of sugarcane, producing 130,000 tons of sugar.

According to the company representative, although it is only the beginning of the season, the company still wants to reach a capacity of 10,000 tons of sugarcane per day. Due to the rain in the past few days, high soil moisture has affected the sugarcane harvest, so the capacity has not reached 10,000 tons of sugarcane per day. The company has announced that any farmers who need to harvest early will be ready to harvest at this time to keep up with the pressing season.

Farmers in Tay Hoa district harvest and load sugarcane onto trucks. Photo: KHANG ANH

Farmers make a profit

According to Mr. Dinh Ngoc Dan, Chairman of Song Hinh District People's Committee, in the 2023-2024 sugarcane crop, Song Hinh has about 6,500 hectares of sugarcane, including many areas that have just been renovated and converted from ineffective crops. Thanks to planting sugarcane varieties suitable for the soil and applying new farming methods and techniques, sugarcane has achieved high yields.

In recent crop years, especially in the 2023-2024 crop year, sugar factories have focused on linking production with farmers to ensure a stable and sustainable supply of raw materials, and the sugarcane purchase price of the factories is also relatively good, so farmers trust and focus on investing and developing raw material areas. It is estimated that this year, sugarcane farmers in Song Hinh district will have an income of 50-70 million VND/ha.

Trucks transport sugarcane from fields to factories. Photo: KHANG ANH

Son Hoa is a district with a large sugarcane growing area of over 14,000 hectares. Villages and communes in the district are also focusing on the harvest season, many sugarcane areas have achieved high productivity.

Mr. La Thanh Phuc, Chairman of the People's Committee, Head of the Sugarcane Management Board of Son Phuoc Commune (Son Hoa District) shared: People in Son Phuoc Commune have been growing sugarcane for about 20 years, so they are always conscious of improving and applying effective planting, land preparation, harvesting methods... Last year, farmers in Son Phuoc Commune planted about 2,100 hectares, with an average yield of 66 tons/ha, and a total output of 130,000 tons/year.

This year, the average sugarcane yield at the beginning of the season is roughly 50 tons/ha (down 16 tons/ha), with an estimated total output of about 100,000 tons/year. “Sugarcane yield depends a lot on the weather. This year’s weather in this sugarcane area is not as favorable as last year, so the sugarcane yield of farmers in the commune is only equal to or lower than last year. However, due to the high sugarcane purchase price, farmers still make a profit,” said Mr. La Thanh Phuc. According to Mr. Doan Quoc Danh (Da Mai hamlet, Son Thanh Tay commune, Tay Hoa district), last year, Son Thanh Tay commune had favorable weather and wind, his sugarcane yield reached nearly 110 tons/ha, this year it is only 80 tons/ha. If he sells for a price ranging from 1.1 to 1.33 million VND/ton, he will still make a profit.

Khang Anh

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