Recover position for sugarcane: For Phu Quy farmers, sugarcane is No.1

Going to Thailand to study

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Recover positon for sugarcane: Billionaires in large fields

Nghe An Sugar Company Limited (NASU) is a unit with a long tradition in the Vietnamese sugarcane industry. Through decades of ups and downs, NASU has always been a reliable support for tens of thousands of farmers on the fertile, sunny, and windy Phu Quy land.

To survive and develop strongly in the context that the sugarcane industry has experienced many events in recent years, NASU has made tireless efforts, along with a methodical path and a willingness to integrate. NASU has stood firm and overcome events in the sugarcane industry, typically the raging grassy shoot disease or the ATIGA storm.

10 years ago, with quite low sugarcane productivity and quality at NASU as well as in Vietnam in general, in order to comprehensively upgrade, priority had to be given to focusing on in-depth research on varieties and changing production processes and methods suitably.

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Recover position for sugarcane: Each household growing hundreds of hectares of sugarcane is still healthy

Thinking about it, NASU sent a group of experts to Thailand to study how to develop sugarcane. Then, in 2015, the company established a research and development department and hired an Australian expert to work. Efforts on research have helped NASU introduce a three-level disease-free sugarcane variety with outstanding characteristics, thereby solving the problem of grassy shoot disease raging fiercely.

Mr. Vo Van Luong, Director of Research and Development at NASU, shared: "To limit risks and improve economic efficiency, in addition to good varieties, it is necessary to proactively analyze soil quality and apply an appropriate fertilization regime. It is mandatory to check the ingredients in the soil and their excess and deficiency content to gradually improve and restore the soil. Sugarcane plants are like humans; provided with adequate nutrients, they will grow well."

NASU is determined to change, and sugarcane growers in Phu Quy are also ready to change. In the past, farmers' sugarcane growing was not unified, but now they have followed a common framework. The habit of planting sugarcane thickly and applying excessive fertilizer is gradually being moderated. Nowadays, most farmers have proactively planted sugarcane thinly according to standards, increasing row spacing from 70–80cm to 1m, 1.1m, and then 1.2m. Taking advantage of the space between rows, some households have intercropped beans and corn. This method does not affect the sugarcane's ability to absorb light but increases income per unit area.

In the trend of agriculture 4.0, businesses and farmers are required to transform comprehensively, becoming familiar with and widely applying science, technology, and digital platforms. Grasping that trend, NASU constantly promotes communication, as demonstrated through the Facebook channel, which attracts more than 24,000 people. Through this channel, it is possible for the company to widely convey related information (policies, orientations, sugar prices, progress, technical advances, etc.) to its members. By helping sugarcane growers easily access information, the efficiency of sugarcane farming constantly increases, and sugarcane growers are very satisfied.

Growing sugarcane is almost risk-free

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Recover position for sugarcane: Rising from hardship

Mr. Lo Van Vinh, residing in Manh village (Bac Son commune, Quy Hop district), is a typical sugarcane farmer with many particularly excellent achievements. This man has everything needed, from prestige, potential, vision to desire. It is no coincidence that the leaders and professional staff of Nghe An Sugar Co., Ltd. must admit that it is people like Mr. Vinh who have contributed to strongly spreading the general policy and helping sugarcane build its position as of today. In the eyes of indigenous people, especially sugarcane-growing households within Manh Valley, Mr. Vinh is a pioneer who "broke ground" and sowed the desire to reach out for themselves.

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Looking back on the long journey of more than 25 years, the man who is likened to the leader of Manh Valley cannot hide his joy. Mr. Vinh said, "My wife and I came here to reclaim land in 1998. At that time, this area was almost isolated from the outside world; there was no electricity grid, no domestic water, and no roads, so doing anything also faced all kinds of hardships. Many years ago, we sowed corn, planted cassava, and raised cattle and poultry, but the economic efficiency was not outstanding, and some households had a very difficult life."

The turning point came when Mr. Vinh's family cooperated with NASU to grow sugarcane in 2011. The factory provided seeds and fertilizer; farmers just had to comply and enjoy the results. The favorable linkage process is an important premise for expanding the scale of sugarcane production, which was initially limited to 7ha but has now increased to 30 ha, not to mention dozens of hectares of acacia and some other forestry trees. 

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Recover position for sugarcane: High prices, farmers are still not happy

Understanding the philosophy "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together,"  Mr. Vinh established Vinh Dung Agroforestry Services Cooperative in 2021, with 17 members sharing the same orientation and desires. The cooperative is fully supported by NASU (seeds, instructions on caring procedures and techniques, support for machinery and equipment, funds to upgrade and build roads, bridges, culverts for production, etc.), so its operation is more and more favorable. The cooperative's sugarcane growing scale has currently exceeded 50 ha and will certainly continue to expand in the coming time.

Cooperative Director Lo Van Vinh affirmed that in Bac Son, no other crop can compare with sugarcane. Corn, potato, or cassava growers have to bear all results, profits or losses. Particularly with sugarcane growing, there is a close linkage contract, and the company sends professional staff to provide detailed technical guidance, so the risk is almost zero. Compared to other crops, the economic efficiency of sugarcane is 2-3 times higher. Another advantage of sugarcane is its excellent ability to save roots, requiring replacement after 4-5 years.

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Recover position for sugarcane: Farmers increasingly turn away

"Since linking with NASU, the CCS index has increased from 8 at the beginning to 10–11. In recent years, thanks to good sugarcane prices and the factory’s support for transportation costs, sugarcane prices in Manh Valley sometimes exceed the threshold of VND 1.3 million/ton.

Every year, the entire Bac Son region has more than 7,000 tons of sugarcane imported by NASU, even 10,000 tons in some years. My family alone contributes about 2,200–2,500 tons; total revenue reaches over VND 2 billion. After deducting expenses, my family earns a profit of VND 700–800 million. It's all thanks to sugarcane. From nothing, I was able to build a house after only 2 sugarcane crops; buy 3 soil-tilling machines after the next 3 crops; and buy 2 more cars in the last 3 years. The sugarcane farming profession is quite leisurely but gains high efficiency. My son, who used to work for the business, also quit completely to help the family," Mr. Vinh concluded.

“Since linking with NASU, Bac Son farmers have earned more than VND 100 billion. In recent years, the value of sugarcane has continuously increased. There are households earning over VND 300 million/year, like the families of Mr. Lo Van Can and Mr. Lo Van Chung. As an insider, I always think that sugarcane is No.1 here," Mr. Lo Van Vinh, Director of Vinh Dung Agroforestry Services Cooperative, emphasized.