Growing sugarcane on fatty soil

From the land of chicken fat mixed with gravel, farmers in Dong Tam commune, Dong Nai province have planted sugarcane to cover the land where “dogs eat rocks, chickens eat gravel”. Few people expected that the sugarcane would grow healthily, achieve high productivity, and bring stable income to local farmers.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chau takes care of his family's sugarcane garden. Photo: Thuy Linh

Hamlet 3, Dong Tam commune is located on a hilly terrain, with many areas of fertile soil mixed with gravel and lacking in nutrients. Cultivation on this land is very difficult. Therefore, Mr. Nguyen Van Chau has switched from fruit trees to growing sugarcane. From the sugarcane growing model, his family earns several million VND each day, and their life is increasingly stable.

Sugarcane is not only grown in acid sulfate soil.

During a visit to Can Tho , Mr. Chau researched and bought sugarcane seeds to plant in his home garden. Initially, he cleared 2 hectares of old fruit trees to plant sugarcane. Later, seeing that sugarcane grew well on the fertile land, he decided to plant 3 more hectares, including 2 hectares intercropped in a coconut garden. Sugarcane is widely grown by farmers in the Western provinces, but it is also very suitable when planted in Dong Tam commune.

Following Mr. Chau to the sugarcane garden that was planted more than a month ago, the young plants are about 80cm high. Some workers are hilling and fertilizing the sugarcane. Mr. Chau said: "Fertilizer for sugarcane should only use nitrogen fertilizer, not manure to avoid the smell of the squeezed sugarcane juice." Sugarcane can be planted by cuttings or shoots. Planting by shoots, the plant will grow faster. Usually, sugarcane is planted in the rainy season, because this is a favorable time for the plant to grow well... Compared to other sugarcane varieties, sugarcane has many advantages, the ability to withstand drought, good resistance to pests and diseases, strong tillering and higher yield than other sugarcane varieties.

Previously, Mr. Chau had grown many sugarcane varieties such as ROC 16 and VD, but the yield was not as high as that of alum sugarcane. One hectare of this sugarcane can yield 100-120 tons, double that of some other sugarcane varieties. The investment cost for growing this sugarcane is 60-65 million VND/hectare.

Get rich by growing sugarcane

For many years, Mr. Chau's family has opened a shop selling sugarcane juice to customers passing through National Highway 14. In addition to growing sugarcane to squeeze juice and sell at home, Mr. Chau also supplies finished sugarcane wholesale to many customers inside and outside the commune. Currently, the wholesale price of raw sugarcane is 3,000 VND/kg, finished sugarcane is 5,000 VND/kg. Each year, 1 hectare of sugarcane brings in about 300 million VND in revenue, after deducting expenses, there is more than 200 million VND left. Selling sugarcane juice and wholesale finished sugarcane to customers, Mr. Chau earns more than 2 million VND per day, not including the money from selling seeds. Sugarcane cuttings and shoots are sold for 3-10,000 VND/kg. Some people from other localities know that Mr. Chau is an effective propagator of sugarcane on chicken fat soil, so they have come to buy shoots to plant.

In the garden of more than 20 hectares, in addition to growing sugarcane, Mr. Chau also grows more than 10 hectares of rubber and coconut. He shared: "While waiting for other crops to be harvested, sugarcane is the family's main source of income, providing higher income than some other crops."

Not only is he a pioneer in developing the alum sugarcane growing model in Dong Tam commune, Mr. Chau also provides varieties and guides planting techniques for local people. “The alum sugarcane growing model has been propagated and maintained by Mr. Nguyen Van Chau for nearly 10 years in the locality. This is a very effective model, because this sugarcane variety has high productivity and the output market is always attractive. Recently, the Farmers' Association of Dong Tam commune has organized for farmer members to visit and learn about the model, especially for households with sloping land, picky about crops, and want to switch to growing sugarcane. Up to now, this model has been widely replicated inside and outside the commune, contributing to increasing household income" - Ms. Luan Thi Hue, Chairwoman of the Farmers' Association of Dong Tam commune, Dong Nai province said.

Thuy Linh

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/kinh-te/202509/trong-mia-su-phen-tren-dat-mo-ga-e4d219b/