Sugarcane offered K80,000 per tonne for upcoming sugarcane season  

August 25, 2022

 

The price of sugarcane is quoted at K80,000 per tonne for the upcoming sugarcane season, U Win Htay, vice chair of Myanmar Sugar and Sugarcane Related Products Association told the Global New Light of Myanmar (GNLM).


Last year, the opening price of sugarcane was K50,000 per tonne. The association raised the price to K80,000 per tonne this year.


Despite the price rise, growers are not doing a roaring business amid the higher prices of agricultural inputs (fertilizers and fuel prices), the growers stressed.


“The growers are struggling with the rising costs of fertilizer. The price of fertilizer is estimated at K110,000-120,000 per bag. Growers need to apply five to ten bags of fertilizer per acre. As the sugarcane is offered at K80,000, it will not make a profit along with the soaring fuel and fertilizer prices. The diesel price stands at over K10,000 per gallon. Consequently, it elevated the costs of farm machinery and transportation. The number of sugarcane acres last year decreased. There are only three months left until the sugarcane season. Therefore, some new growers are now taking into account the market conditions whether to grow it or not. The sugarcane can be harvested for three years after one year of cultivation. Those who will start growing the sugarcane this year are not certain about profitability. However, those growers who planted in the previous years will make a profit as there is no cultivation cost,” said U Win Htay.


Approximately, 450,000 acres of sugarcane are cultivated across the country with an annual production of 450,000 tonnes of sugar. Sugar was conveyed to China and Viet Nam in the past years beyond self-sufficiency.  Now, it is only shipped to Viet Nam, according to the Myanmar Sugar and Sugarcane Related Products Association.


Sugarcane is commonly found in the upper Sagaing Region, followed by northern Shan State. It is also found in the western and eastern Bago Region, Yangon Region and Mandalay Region.
The sugarcane is grown in December-January. It can be harvested from November to February of the following years. The sugarcane growing rotation cycle lasts for four years in Myanmar. —NN/GNLM