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national downturn in sugarcane production
(16-05-2009)
Labourers load sugarcane for Lam Son Company in Tho Xuan District in the central province of Thanh Hoa. New agricultural techniques and support for farmers are necessary to help them recover from a downturn. VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Hue
HA NOI ? A nationwide sugar production downturn has been blamed on poor farming techniques and a lack of support for growers causing them to turn to other crops.
The situation has alarmed industry leaders and led to a call for improved sugarcane varieties, better techniques and more support for farmers to deter them from defecting.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Ba Bong said the country had planted 270,600ha in sugarcane, down by 36,000ha over the previous crop.
This year?s per hectare yield reached 50 tonnes, a fall of 7.6 per cent compared to the previous crop.
The Sugarcane Assoc-iation?s General Secretary Ha Huu Phai said that more than 20 of the total 40 sugar mills nationwide were forced to stop production before the end of the crop in late May due to a shortage in cane supply.
"According to our estimates, the total sugar output of this crop should have been 951,000 tonnes but was reduced by 198,000 tonnes because of the cane shortage," Phai said.
However, Lam Son Sugarcane Company deputy director Le Van Thanh said part of the problem was poor farming techniques which led to low productivity and poor quality.
Wrong varieties
"Many growers cultivate the plants 20cm underground while it requires at least 40cm," Thanh said.
Government Office representative Pham Quoc Doanh agreed, saying productivity had not increased in 10 years because the farmers in 60 per cent of cane growing areas used the wrong varieties and grew the same plants for too many years. "Each cane variety is normally good for growing for up to two years but many farmers keep cultivating them for up to seven years," Doanh said. "That?s why productivity has reduced from 90 tonnes to 50 tonnes per hectare.
Soc Trang Sugarcane Company director Nguyen Minh Chau said farmers often violated their contracts, selling their crop to traders for higher prices.
However, farmers in Ben Luc District of southern Long An Province, where most of the nation?s sugarcane is grown, blamed the mills for not buying all their crops, forcing them to sell part of their crops to local traders at a much lower price.
In spite of the sugarcane price doubling to VND700 per kilo, they made no profit, they said, and many had gone out of cane to grow other crops such as cassava and corn.
Deputy Minister Bong said the choice of high yield varieties along with improved quality and farming technology was an urgent task for the sugarcane industry to boost productivity.
Government Office representative Doanh said sugar mills should invest more in building their plantation areas to stop competition between mills.
Dissuaded
"Sugar mills must have policies to support farmers in years of bad harvest and step-by-step conduct privatisation and let farmers hold shares, so they will be more responsible for their jobs," Lam Son director Thanh said.
Farmers must be dissuaded from replacing cane with other crops, he said.
"Sugarcane should enjoy tax exemptions so the industry will recover," Thanh said. ?VNS
(16-05-2009)
Labourers load sugarcane for Lam Son Company in Tho Xuan District in the central province of Thanh Hoa. New agricultural techniques and support for farmers are necessary to help them recover from a downturn. VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Hue
HA NOI ? A nationwide sugar production downturn has been blamed on poor farming techniques and a lack of support for growers causing them to turn to other crops.
The situation has alarmed industry leaders and led to a call for improved sugarcane varieties, better techniques and more support for farmers to deter them from defecting.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Ba Bong said the country had planted 270,600ha in sugarcane, down by 36,000ha over the previous crop.
This year?s per hectare yield reached 50 tonnes, a fall of 7.6 per cent compared to the previous crop.
The Sugarcane Assoc-iation?s General Secretary Ha Huu Phai said that more than 20 of the total 40 sugar mills nationwide were forced to stop production before the end of the crop in late May due to a shortage in cane supply.
"According to our estimates, the total sugar output of this crop should have been 951,000 tonnes but was reduced by 198,000 tonnes because of the cane shortage," Phai said.
However, Lam Son Sugarcane Company deputy director Le Van Thanh said part of the problem was poor farming techniques which led to low productivity and poor quality.
Wrong varieties
"Many growers cultivate the plants 20cm underground while it requires at least 40cm," Thanh said.
Government Office representative Pham Quoc Doanh agreed, saying productivity had not increased in 10 years because the farmers in 60 per cent of cane growing areas used the wrong varieties and grew the same plants for too many years. "Each cane variety is normally good for growing for up to two years but many farmers keep cultivating them for up to seven years," Doanh said. "That?s why productivity has reduced from 90 tonnes to 50 tonnes per hectare.
Soc Trang Sugarcane Company director Nguyen Minh Chau said farmers often violated their contracts, selling their crop to traders for higher prices.
However, farmers in Ben Luc District of southern Long An Province, where most of the nation?s sugarcane is grown, blamed the mills for not buying all their crops, forcing them to sell part of their crops to local traders at a much lower price.
In spite of the sugarcane price doubling to VND700 per kilo, they made no profit, they said, and many had gone out of cane to grow other crops such as cassava and corn.
Deputy Minister Bong said the choice of high yield varieties along with improved quality and farming technology was an urgent task for the sugarcane industry to boost productivity.
Government Office representative Doanh said sugar mills should invest more in building their plantation areas to stop competition between mills.
Dissuaded
"Sugar mills must have policies to support farmers in years of bad harvest and step-by-step conduct privatisation and let farmers hold shares, so they will be more responsible for their jobs," Lam Son director Thanh said.
Farmers must be dissuaded from replacing cane with other crops, he said.
"Sugarcane should enjoy tax exemptions so the industry will recover," Thanh said. ?VNS
