Sugarcane farmers are filled with joy as spring arrives.

In the early days of 2024, farmers throughout the province focused on harvesting the 2023-2024 sugarcane crop, rejoicing at both a bountiful harvest and favorable prices. Sugarcane yields in many areas reached 90-100 tons/ha, and sugarcane prices peaked at their highest level ever, fluctuating between 1,100 and 1,200 VND/kg. Sugarcane farmers earned profits of 30-40 million VND/ha, enabling them to celebrate the Lunar New Year more comfortably.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hanh, residing in My Hiep village, My Son commune (Ninh Son district), stated: "Entering the 2023-2024 sugarcane season, thanks to the investment support from Bien Hoa - Phan Rang Sugar Joint Stock Company, many sugarcane fields in the locality have been revived. My family alone renovated 2 hectares of old mango orchards to plant sugarcane, bringing the total sugarcane area to 4 hectares. Thanks to the readily available water from the Tan My irrigation system, I invested in a drip irrigation system for production, saving a lot of costs. The company handles all stages of plowing, spraying pesticides using drones, harvesting, etc., allowing sugarcane farmers to relax and receive payment after harvesting. This season, sugarcane yield and prices are about 10% higher than the previous season, and I earned a profit of 160 million VND from planting 4 hectares of sugarcane."

Bien Hoa - Phan Rang Sugar Joint Stock Company supports farmers in introducing mechanization into sugarcane harvesting.

Mr. Le Vinh Thang, Deputy Head of the Raw Materials Department of Bien Hoa - Phan Rang Sugar Joint Stock Company, shared: "There was a time when the sugar industry faced difficulties, with low sugarcane prices and farmers reducing their production area. To maintain the sugarcane raw material area, in recent years the company has intensified agricultural extension activities, supporting farmers in implementing effective models of scientific and technical transfer into production. Quang Son commune (Ninh Son district) is located in an area affected by drought. To overcome the water shortage for production, many households have proactively invested in and applied water-saving irrigation technology; in particular, the sprinkler irrigation model is proving effective and is being widely adopted in the locality. According to sugarcane growers, compared to traditional pumping irrigation, water-saving irrigation helps maintain soil moisture according to the growth needs of the crop. Mr. Le Tuan Anh is one of the households in Ninh Son district that has effectively applied the water-saving irrigation model to sugarcane." To provide water for his 2 hectares of sugarcane, in 2021 he invested nearly 120 million VND in installing an automatic sprinkler irrigation system. Because the automatic irrigation system regulates the water supply to maintain moisture for the sugarcane plants, preventing water loss and runoff, a significant amount of water is saved. Furthermore, sugarcane yield is twice as high as in previous sugarcane seasons. Based on the success of this model, he plans to expand the water-saving irrigation model to an additional 3 hectares in the 2023-2024 sugarcane season.

A breakthrough in sugarcane production for the 2023-2024 crop year was the bold investment by Bien Hoa - Phan Rang Sugar Joint Stock Company in piloting a model of "Foliar fertilization combined with insecticide application for sugarcane borers using drones" in Ninh Son district, covering an area of 149 hectares. Manual fertilization or insecticide application per hectare requires 4-5 workers per day, costing 1.2-1.5 million VND, while drone spraying only takes about 15 minutes and costs 420,000 VND. Importantly, the drone sprays the insecticide in a mist form, and the pressure from the propellers helps the insecticide adhere quickly and evenly to the sugarcane leaves, reducing the amount of insecticide used by about 30%. Mr. Nguyen Hao from Tam Ngan village, Lam Son commune, said: In previous sugarcane seasons, hiring workers to spray insecticides and fertilize cost a large amount, about 3 million VND per hectare. During the 2023-2024 sugarcane season, using drones to spray pesticides was very effective; my 19 hectares of sugarcane were sprayed in just one day.

For the 2023-2024 sugarcane crop season, Bien Hoa - Phan Rang Sugar Joint Stock Company expanded its sugarcane growing area to 2,400 hectares. To maintain and develop this area, the company has implemented policies to support farmers in improving their land, converting from less efficient crops to sugarcane cultivation, with support ranging from 1.5 to 5 million VND per hectare. Regarding policies to increase sugarcane productivity, the company provides irrigation support of 2 million VND per hectare for young sugarcane, 1 million VND per hectare for ratoon sugarcane, and 1 million VND per hectare for supplementary irrigation; supports the propagation of disease-free sugarcane seedlings to minimize the risk of disease outbreaks; and commits to purchasing sugarcane at a minimum guaranteed price to reassure farmers about production.

The sugar industry has overcome difficulties thanks to large-scale, centralized production organization and the application of new technologies, creating breakthroughs in productivity and quality. As a result, sugarcane farmers throughout the province are filled with joy in the new spring season.

Mr. Tung

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