Sugar cane fires broke out everywhere, the culprit unknown

In the past few days, Gia Lai province has seen consecutive sugarcane fires with unusual signs compared to each year. This year’s sugar cane fires in particular are of a large and continuous scale that has burned hundreds of acres of people’s sugar cane.

Before newspaper Vietnamese culture On February 3, 2023, it was reported that in just 3 days (January 26, 29 and 30), more than 37.3 hectares of sugar cane were burned by 28 households in Ia Piar commune (Phu Thien district, Gia Lai), which led to heavy losses peasants. The fire spread very quickly and spread to all sugar cane fields in Ia Piar municipality. Many sugar cane trees were burned black, bare from the helplessness of the people.

Bui Trong Thanh, head of the Phu Thien District Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the cause of the sugarcane fire has not yet been determined. However, many areas of burning cane may have been burned by carefree people and it was the dry season so the fire spread very quickly. In addition, the burning sugar cane fields fall at night, so it is difficult to handle.

After more than 30 hectares of sugar cane burned, the fire broke out again about a week later, causing damage to nearly 20 hectares of unharvested sugar cane, including in the municipality of Ia Piar. In particular, on the evening of February 6, people in the area discovered a large fire in the sugar cane fields in the village of Plei Rbai. After receiving the news, the commune people’s committee mobilized local forces to the scene of the fire to help people put out the fire.

Mr. Siu Thien, chairman of the People’s Committee of Ia Piar Township, said the fire broke out in the dark amid dry weather and strong winds, so the work to extinguish the fire has encountered many difficulties. Firefighters had to create firebreak lines with plows to effectively locate the fire and prevent it from spreading over a large area.

On February 9, a severe sugar cane fire broke out in Hbon Township, Chu Se District. Preliminary statistics show that about 21 hectares of sugar cane were burned here by 15 households. If the fire is not detected and prevented in time, according to many people, the sugar cane field will burn even more. It is worth noting that the area of ​​burned sugar cane was preparing for harvest when an unfortunate incident happened that caused serious damage.

Meanwhile, in Krong Pa district, during and after the 2023 Lunar New Year, the total area of ​​sugar cane burned up to Feb. 12 was 10.7 hectares, with an estimated loss of 1,141 tons of sugar cane. So far, the cause of the fire could not be determined. Due to the decline in yield and quality of sugar cane, the loss is estimated at VND 15 million/ha.

Sugar cane fires not only cause human injury, but also have a major impact on the purchasing planning of manufacturing companies. At present, the companies have planned to buy burned sugar cane area immediately according to the burned area, and ensure the sugar cane farmers harmony in the raw material area with certainty for production.

Rapid deployment of prevention

According to statistics, since the Lunar New Year until now, the situation of sugar cane burning in the raw materials area in Gia Lai has been complicated, with unusual signs. Up to now, there have been nearly 30 sugar cane fires with a damaged area of ​​more than 270 ha, an increase of almost five times compared to the sugar cane harvest in 2022. In this area, Phu Thien district has the most burned area of ​​sugar cane with more than 100 ha, the estimated total damage is more than 1.7 billion dong.

Facing the above situation, Mr. Duong Mah Tiep, vice chairman of the People’s Committee of Gia Lai Province, signed a document urging departments, branches and municipalities to focus on the implementation of sugarcane fire prevention and control in the province .

Specifically, the Gia Lai Provincial People’s Committee requested districts and cities that produce aggregates to report concretely on the situation of sugar cane burning in the region from early 2023 and present the results of management and management.

Locals are directing specialized agencies to coordinate with mass organizations and local authorities to promote propaganda and mobilize people to raise awareness of dry season sugarcane fire prevention and control. Post-harvest burning and clearing of sugarcane fields must conform to procedure; Notify neighboring cane owners and local authorities to monitor, monitor and prevent the spread of the fire; It is common to burn sugar cane and sabotage production, which are illegal and can be criminalized.

Inspect, monitor and request sugar companies and factories to expedite the process of buying sugar cane for people under the sugar cane cultivation contract that the factory signed to invest; guide the purchasing method, ensure order and security for the area of ​​sugar cane materials, ensure the harmony of interests of sugar cane farmers and factories and companies purchasing sugar cane materials in the area.

The Gia Lai Provincial People’s Committee also suggested that sugar companies and factories in the province should urgently give priority to purchasing burnt sugar cane area at the earliest possible opportunity and support farmers and share risks with them; Coordinate closely with local authorities to implement dry season sugarcane fire prevention. Develop a plan and organize the timely, transparent and public sugar cane purchase with the correct identification of sugar and impurities; properly and fully implement the conditions signed with the people.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development directs specialized agencies to coordinate closely with local authorities to inspect and guide sugarcane farmers and people who cultivate agriculture near sugarcane fields to implement fire prevention measures, especially during the months of Dry time, good to implement. Based on the results of the reports from the communities, the department specifically summarizes the situation of sugar cane burning in the province from the beginning of 2023 to now, difficulties and problems, and proposes solutions to continue the management effectively and practically.

Mr. Ksor Tin, Vice Chairman of Krong Pa District People’s Committee, said that the entire district has harvested over 546/1,114 sugar canes, accounting for over 49% of the area. The current area of ​​unharvested sugar cane in municipalities and cities is still large. At present, the weather in the district is starting to become hot and dry, so sugar cane is easy to be burned, causing harm to sugar cane farmers. In the coming period, the provincial people’s committee will continue to direct and urge municipalities and cities to strictly follow the guidance of the provincial people’s committee and the agricultural sector in implementing sugarcane fire prevention and control measures.

In particular, mobilizing people to raise awareness about preventing and controlling dry season sugarcane fires; post-harvest burning and clearing of sugar cane fields must comply with the procedure; It is common to burn sugar cane and sabotage production, which are illegal and can be criminalized. Inspect, monitor and request the purchasing unit to accelerate the process of purchasing sugar cane for the people according to the signed investment contracts, thus ensuring harmony between the interests of the sugar cane farmers and the purchasing units in the region.