22 July

The local farmers and businessmen are needed to coordinate to control the market so that they can prevent sugarcane growing from declining, according to the Agriculture Department in Aunglan township.

The sugarcane cultivation has decreased to about 1,000 acres of land this year in Aunglan township compared to that of last year.

The sugarcane is grown mostly in Taungdwingyi, Aunglan and Kanma townships. Last year, the Aunglan township grew about 10,000 acres of sugarcane. But, this year, the local farmers from Aunglan can grow only 9,000 acres of sugarcane.

“As there is a decline in the sugarcane cultivation, the local farmers have reduced the grown acreage of sugarcane plants because sugar mills are only willing to buy the sugarcane plants at a much lower price. If the sugarcane production continues to decline, the sugar mills will not get the raw materials. The local growers don’t want to sell their sugar if the millers do not want to offer the right price. The growers are selling their products to places where they get a higher price. It is interrelated and so, both the local growers and the businessmen should control the market to make it stable,” said U Tun Hla Aung, the head of Agriculture Department in Aunglan Township.

Magway Region targeted to grow 15,000 acres of sugarcane plants in 2019-2020 fiscal year. However, the Magway region grew a total of 16,389 acres of plants which is an increase over the target, said Director U Lin Myat of Agriculture Department in Magway Region.

The local farmers grow the sugarcane plants from November to January. The duration of the sugarcane growing is one year. The inputs of the sugarcane cost around K400,000-K500,000. Each acre of sugarcane can yield around 30-40 tonnes. Each tonne of sugarcane plants can make a profit of around K 900,000 -K1.2 million, according to the sugarcane growers. 

Zayyatu (Magway) (Translated by Hay Mar)