Farmers harvest sugarcane in the southern region.(Photo: VNA)
Tay Ninh (VNA) – Applying advanced technologies in the cultivationof sugarcane is important to improve quality and productivity of the gianttropical grass, Thai experts said at a conference held by Thanh Thanh Cong-BienHoa JSC in the southwestern province of Tay Ninh on August 13.
Sriwaranyoo Fontip, an agricultural expert from Thailand, introduced sugarcanecultivation processes in Thailand, which ensure 190 tonnes per hectare inproductivity for Thai farmers (nearly triple the average yield in Vietnam).
She said the ideal time to plant sugarcane is between October and November.
Sugarcane growers should pay special attention to tilling the soil andploughing must ensure soil is broken to help the roots of the plants reachnutrition and moisture, she said, adding chiseling to a depth of 50 centimetreswill be adequate to break the hard compact sub-pan layer.
In addition, she recommended farmers have deep insight into water requirementsof sugarcane in different growing stages of germination, tillering, grandgrowth, and maturation and ripening. Normally, an 11-month-old sugarcane plantneeds some 1,500 millimetres of water per day.
According to Pham Hong Duong, Chairman of the Thanh Thanh Cong-Bien Hoa JSC,improving yield for sugarcane is among the keys to help the local sugarindustry enhance its competitive edge and stabilise material zone and locallivelihoods.
He said the sugar industry needs support from the Government, businesscommunity and farmers so it can develop sustainably in the context of deepglobal integration.
Statistics from the Vietnam Sugar Association (VSSA) showed sugar millsnationwide processed some 12 million tonnes of sugarcane as of the end of June,and produced nearly 1.2 million tonnes of sugar, down 20 percent year on yearand 22 percent below the target.
The Thanh Thanh Cong-Bien Hoa JSC is investing and supporting capital as wellas cultivating techniques for a material zone of 16,000 hectares in Tay Ninhprovince and Cambodia, which yield average 60-70 tonnes per hectare.-VNA
VNA
