Vietnam will keep its sugarcane growing area stable at 300,000 hectares until 2030 in parallel with increasing sugar output and quality.
Under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Decision 1369/QD-BNN of April 19, approving a plan on sugar industry’s development until 2020 with a vision toward 2030, the industry’s competitiveness and sustainable development will be further promoted to better meet domestic consumption demand and gradually increase sugar export.
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| A farmer in Lam Binh district, Tuyen Quang province, tends his sugarcane plantation__Photo: Internet |
As planned, for the coming three years, the country will keep the sugarcane production at over 20 million tons and sugar output at 2 million tons, including 1.3 million tons of refined sugar.
During this period, no new sugar factories will be built though the capacity of the existing sugar plants in the areas where sugarcane growing may be expanded. Total designed processing capacity of these factories will be kept at 174,000 tons of sugarcane per day. The industry is expected to invest resources in renewing equipment and technology to increase the proportion of white and refined sugar.
The ministry targets that by 2020, at least 70 percent of factories and processing clusters will be able to process over 4,000 tons of sugarcane per day. Around 5.5 million tons or 90 percent of bagasse will be used to produce 1.1 million kWh of electricity every year.
By 2030, sugarcane and sugar output will increase to 24 million tons and 2.5 million tons respectively, and more than 90 percent of factories can process at least 4,000 tons of sugarcane per day. The industry is expected to recycle 7 million tons or 91 percent of bagasse annually to produce 1.5 - 1.6 billion kWh of electricity.
To achieve the above targets, the agricultural sector will plan to move sugar mills from the areas where material supply has not been ensured to areas close to material sugarcane growing areas. Quality of refined sugar products will be improved to meet international standards.
While the Vietnam Sugarcane and Sugar Association will have to improve its role in controlling sugar materials, wholesale, retail and export prices, activities will be stepped up to prevent sugar smuggling and update the industry on the global sugar market.
The agricultural sector will also work to develop good sugarcane varieties and boost farming mechanization.- (VLLF)
