Vietnam: Sustainable measures proposed for sweet sugarcane season

 Sugarcane farmers have suffered heavy losses after the price of sugarcane fell for several seasons, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade's trade remedy against sugarcane imports from Thailand has brought benefits to the domestic sugar industry.

In the south-central provinces of Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan alone, cane prices rose from VND1 million per tonne to VND1.2 million per tonne this year, a record high.

　　The high price of sugar cane has contributed to the stability and forward movement of people's lives in the wake of the New Crown Pneumonia pandemic. However, businesses and growers still have a lot of work to do to keep the joy of the next sugarcane year alive.

　　A bumper sugar cane harvest

　　The South Central provinces are at the peak of the 2021-2022 sugar cane harvest.

In key sugar cane growing areas such as Ninh Son and Boai (Ninh Thuan Province), Ninh Hoa City (Khanh Hoa Province), or mountainous districts such as Dong Chon, Son Hoa and Sinh Hoa (Phu Yen Province), the season is busy with trucks transporting sugar cane up and down.

　　Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoang, a native of Ninh Quang commune, Ninh Hoa city, Khanh Hoa province, said that with 40 hectares of sugar cane, she harvested more than 2,000 tonnes and earned more than VND2 billion.

Ms Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoang shared, "We mechanise everything from tillage, planting, fertiliser application and weed spraying, therefore reducing costs.

The land is machine-tilled with high porosity and well watered, so the sugar cane grows well".

Truong Doc, chairman of Ninh Quang Commune People's Committee, said that this year's sugar cane season saw factories buying sugar cane at a price of about VND1 million per tonne. This is a very high price compared to recent years.

　　With 23,000 hectares, Phu Yen has the largest area of sugar cane among the south-central provinces, with 12,400 hectares being harvested this year in the mountainous district of Son Hoa alone.

Vietnam's KCP Industries Ltd (a wholly Indian-owned company) has contracted to sell its products at VND1.2 million per tonne of sugarcane, helping sugarcane farmers earn high incomes averaging VND30-40 million per hectare. Su Minh Hung, a native of Son Phuoc commune, Son Hoa district, Phu Yen province, harvested 3 hectares of sugarcane this season.

This is the first year his family has grown sugar cane according to the digging and watering model and it has grown well, reaching a high yield of about 80 tonnes/ha.

Mr Su Minh Hung said, "With the current price of sugarcane, the family has made more than VND100 million in this sugarcane season."

　　According to the Chairman of the People's Committee of Son Hoa District, Su Fang Bei, identifying sugar cane as a major local crop and a sustainable crop for poverty reduction, the district government has been working with KCP Industries Vietnam Ltd. for many years to mobilise people to plant sugar cane and establish a stable raw material area of 13,000 hectares.

Of this area, 2,400 hectares of sugar cane with a stable source of irrigation water has a yield of 100 tonnes/ha. The remaining sugar cane area yields an average of 58-60 tonnes/ha. On average, growers can earn VND30-40 million per hectare.