According to the majority of sugar cane farmers in Phung Hiep District, traders came to buy sugar cane this year to sell by the dozen (the form of selling in bundles to ensure supply), although agricultural materials, gasoline pumps for irrigation and hired labor in the price have increased. for sugarcane juice carts, refreshment shops) at a higher price than usual, so farmers still have a profit after deducting all expenses, on average about 10 million VND/land (1 public = 1,000 m2).
Farmer Tran Hong Phuong (Say Nieu B Hamlet, Phung Hiep Township, Phung Hiep District) said excitedly that a new trader just came and sold his cane share at the price of VND2,100/kg. Compared to previous years, this is the period when Mr. Phuong has sold the most.
Mr. Tran Hong Phuong was thrilled this year as traders came to drop high-priced heaps of sugar cane. Picture: Ho Thao.
According to Mr. Phuong, in the past, the sugar cane price was low, people only planted sugar cane 10 months before harvest, this year the high price was only 6 months, so they called the traders to sell early. Mr. Phuong also predicted that the sugar cane price could rise to VND 3,500/kg in the coming days. “My family planted 6 sugar cane to sell for a dozen, just sold to the driver a total of 168 million, after deducting all expenses for fertilizer, labor…, I still have more than 80 million dong profit,” Mr Phuong said excited.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh (Pung Hiep Municipality) shared that the variety of sugar cane he grows can be sold to sugar mills and water pressing, so the market is bigger than before. This year, the price of sugar cane is high, so traders come to the fields to buy, including labor for harvesting and transportation.
“I grow sugar cane, the price is usually higher than sugar cane. When the sugar cane price is 2,000 VND/kg, our farmers will make a profit of 80-100 million VND/ha, so I will gradually switch to cultivating sugar cane to sell to traders,” Mr. Binh said.
In addition to the bustling atmosphere, the excited smiles in the sugar cane fields, there is no shortage of rueful eyes either.
Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan (who lives in the same area) confided, “In the past few years, the price was quite low, which contributed to the epidemic, the sugar factory bought it for only 1,000 VND/kg, while the input cost was too high. so I did not dare to plant a new crop, I did not expect that the price will increase this year, I looked and regretted it.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh is picking sugar cane leaves to prepare for the harvest. Picture: Ho Thao.
This year, the sugar cane price is at a high level, so sugar cane farmers and traders are excited. Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, a trader who buys dozens of sugar canes, said, “Currently, the purchasing volume is twice as large as every year, because the price of sugar cane is high, people can harvest it earlier. 3,000/kg”.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hoang, head of Phung Hiep Municipality Agricultural Engineering Team, many sugarcane farmers have switched to other crops in recent years to achieve greater economic efficiency or switched to sugarcane cultivation and sold dozens due to the volatile price of sugarcane. This year, the entire Phung Hiep district has seeded nearly 3,600 hectares, nearly 1,000 hectares less than the previous cane harvest, of which nearly 600 hectares of land was planted with half a dozen canes.
“This year, Phung Hiep Municipality has planted 415 ha of sugar cane. Phung Hiep is the place with the largest sales area for sugar cane in the entire district. This season, people harvest and sell sometimes at VND 2,000-2,800/kg at times up to VND 3,500/kg, the profit is better than every year. In the coming period, the place encourages people to expand the area of sugar cane cultivation due to its high profitability,” added Mr. Hoang.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hau Giang Province, the province’s sugar cane area will reach 4,000 hectares in 2022, estimated at 3,800 hectares, with a production of 384,000 tons. The Phung Hiep district in particular is considered to be the largest sugar cane area in the Mekong Delta. According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the whole district of Phung Hiep has sown 3,600/5,040 ha in the first 6 months of the year, accounting for more than 70% of the province’s sugar cane acreage.
Sugarcane is grown in many communities of Tan Long, Phung Hiep, Hiep Hung, Tan Phuoc Hung and Bung Tau City. People mainly grow early and mid-ripening sugar cane varieties like Roc 16, Roc13, Roc11, Decision 11… The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hau Giang Province encourages farmers to expand the sugar cane planting area to get the sugar cane material in the provincial road area.