More incentives for growers not to burn sugarcane before harvesting

[webfact]

 

Thailand’s Cane and Sugar Board will propose that the government increases the incentives for sugarcane growers not to burn it before harvesting.

 

Virit Viseshsindhu, secretary-general of the board, said that the current price difference between fresh and burned sugarcane, even allowing for the “no burn” subsidy, is not enough to persuade many growers to refrain from burning, which makes the cane easier to cut.

 

Sugar milling for the 2023-24 crop year began on December 10th and ended on February 22nd. About 70.23 million tonnes of sugarcane are projected to be milled this year. Of these, 50.08 million tonnes were fresh cane and the rest were burned.

 

According to the board, hot spots in sugarcane cultivation areas in 47 provinces accounted for only 5.98% of the 37,464 so far detected in the country. Nakhon Ratchasima registered the highest amount of burned cane, at 2.4 million tonnes, followed by 1.8 million tonnes in Phetchabun, 1.7 million tonnes in Udon Thani, 1.6 million tonnes in Kalasin and 1.5 million tonnes in Khon Kaen.

 

Full story: Thai PBS 2024-02-26

 

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[rwill]

In Ratchaburi they burn the sugarcane field rubble after harvesting it.  I think how it works is if the fields are manually harvested they burn them first.  If harvested by machine they burn the rubble afterwards.  I don't believe the figures they are quoting in the article.  I see fields burning everyday during sugarcane season.

 

[VincentRJ]

How can anyone harvest sugar cane after burning it? 

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand’s Cane and Sugar Board will propose that the government increases the incentives for sugarcane growers not to burn it before harvesting.

Here's a great incentive not to partake in pyrotechnics.... burn it and you go to jail.

[fredwiggy]

Like most everything else Thailand copies from other countries, this is the best way they've found to not only eliminate toxic burning but to use the leaves and tops of the plants. No excuses besides ignorance and laziness.........................https://www.global-organics.com/post.php?s=2021-06-03-the-alternative-to-burning-sugar-cane-is-a-win-win-win-solution-opinion

[JBChiangRai]

There is a standard precept worldwide, you should not profit from crime.  It begs the question, why are they paying anything for burnt sugarcane.

[spidermike007]

The sugar cane industry is evil. These farmers seem to have no regard toward their fellow Thais and are causing massive destruction to the environment. And the rich refiners are totally complicit in this crime. Either the government steps up, or they remain another lazy, do nothing administration. 

 

Sretta, are you a do nothing man, or not? 

 

Rather than partnering with our campaign, the sugar industry has demonized it, but their fear-mongering just crystalizes the truth for more and more Floridians. Take just a few moments to do the research and you will discover that green harvesting is anything but “anti-farming.” As a multi-million dollar industry, Big Sugar’s claim that green harvesting is too difficult, while less wealthy sugar-growing nations around the world have moved beyond sugar field burning, is an insult to American ingenuity and an outright lie.

 

https://www.global-organics.com/post.php?s=2021-06-03-the-alternative-to-burning-sugar-cane-is-a-win-win-win-solution-opinion

[Gecko123]

46 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Here's a great incentive not to partake in pyrotechnics.... burn it and you go to jail.

I really don't see why they don't make it illegal for the sugar cane factories to accept burnt sugar cane. Where I live, early in the harvest it seems like almost none of the fields are burned before harvest but as the season starts to draw to a close more fields are burned. I wonder if this is because as the season winds down the growers start running out of time before the sugar mills close or because migrant labor starts getting in short supply.

 

Edited February 26 by Gecko123

[IAMHERE]

Eventually the cane and leaves have to be disposed of somehow. 

[Gecko123]

2 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

Eventually the cane and leaves have to be disposed of somehow. 

There is a sugar cane harvester in use which chops the cane into foot long lengths and shreds the remaining leaf debris into a compostable ground cover which I believe can be left in the field and doesn't necessarily have to be burnt.

[Skipalongcassidy]

9 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

Eventually the cane and leaves have to be disposed of somehow. 

If you had bothered to read the source quoted you would have your answer... I guess you don't have the time.

[mikebell]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

increases the incentives for sugarcane growers not to burn it before harvesting.

Why not increase the police force or at least make some of them work?

[brianthainess]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

the “no burn” subsidy, is not enough to persuade many growers to refrain from burning, which makes the cane easier to cut.

And there you have it. To much like hard work. 

[retarius]

Sorry, wrong approach. You don't need more incentive. Carrot and stick is an easy to understand concept, give the incentive if the arsonist complies with your wishes and perceives that he inconveniences himself; but cane him hard if he fails to comply. Simply giving incentives breeds entitlement and doesn't achieve the objectives of stopping fields being burned. 

[Callmeishmael]

2 hours ago, VincentRJ said:

How can anyone harvest sugar cane after burning it? 

A large percentage of sugar cane is fermented to make alcohol that is then mixed with gasoline to make gasohol.

 

Burnt sugar cane cannot be eaten, but it can be used to make gasohol.  While gasohol is theoretically cheaper and cleaner burning than gasoline, it has less energy, so it negatively impacts both fuel economy and engine lifespan.  So both the production of gasohol and its use go against the purported need for it!

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

I really don't see why they don't make it illegal for the sugar cane factories to accept burnt sugar cane.

Donations?

[ChrisY1]

3 hours ago, VincentRJ said:

How can anyone harvest sugar cane after burning it? 

In the times of hand cutting in Australia...the cane was always burnt and even with the advent of machinery, continued into the 80s....now stopped.

[VincentRJ]

2 hours ago, Callmeishmael said:

A large percentage of sugar cane is fermented to make alcohol that is then mixed with gasoline to make gasohol.

 

Burnt sugar cane cannot be eaten, but it can be used to make gasohol.  While gasohol is theoretically cheaper and cleaner burning than gasoline, it has less energy, so it negatively impacts both fuel economy and engine lifespan.  So both the production of gasohol and its use go against the purported need for it!

Thanks for the explanation. I'm learning something new today. 

 

I did an internet search to find out more information, and was surprised to find that pre-harvest burning of sugar cane is also done in parts of Australia and the USA, because of the economic benefits.

 

However, I'm still a bit puzzled why the stems (or the stalks) of the sugar cane plant are resistant to burning. 
"Farmers burn sugarcane crops before harvest to remove the leaves and tops of the sugarcane plant leaving only the sugar-bearing stalk to be harvested."

 

For those interested, the following article explains some of the benefits of pre-harvest burning.
https://www.bdbcanegrowers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Reasons-for-Burning.pdf

 

"With large lodged crops it can be difficult to harvest due to the tangle of cane in the paddock. This lodged crop  can increase the cost of harvesting to the growers if cut green, as the harvester may only be able to cut one way and or at a reduced rate. 
This increases the amount of diesel used to harvest the crop. By burning the crop the harvester is able to reduce fuel use, decreasing the cost to growers. The burning also enables the harvester operator to see the rows in the lodged cane and enables them to follow the rows. This reduces the damage to the cane improving its ability to ratoon for the following year." (Ratoon is the part of cane left underground after harvesting, and a loged crop is a crop where the stems have been displaced from their vertical position  as a result of buckling).
 

"Another benefit of the burning in this situation is the improved quality of the billets sent to the mill (less dirt, extraneous matter) that increase the return to the grower and miller (there is less wear and tear on the mill machinery from improved billet quality). Burning also has the ability to improve the quality of the sugar that is made at the mill."
 

[Enoon]

6 hours ago, VincentRJ said:

How can anyone harvest sugar cane after burning it? 

 

Only the leaves burn off. 

 

https://www.sierraclub.org/florida/sugar-field-burning

 

https://stopsugarburning.org/

 

 

Edited February 26 by Enoon

[Puccini]

What will be next? Incentives for not driving through a red light, for not murdering someone, etc.?

[VincentRJ]

5 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

In the times of hand cutting in Australia...the cane was always burnt and even with the advent of machinery, continued into the 80s....now stopped.

 

I don't believe it has stopped, but it does seem to have been significantly reduced.

 

"Now around 70% of Queensland’s crop is harvested without burning. But wherever you are through our vast sugarcane regions, there is still the possibility that the dusk or dawn sky will be lit up with a cane burn – a big, bright whoosh and then it’s done."

https://www.canegrowers.com.au/page/media/latest-news/why-pre-harvest-cane-fires-still-light-up-the-sky#:~:text=Now around 70% of Queensland's,whoosh and then it's done

 

"Any cane grower can still apply to burn cane under the authority of a Permit to Light Fire."

https://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-04/QFES-InfoSheet-CaneBurningNotification.pdf

[Burma Bill]

14 hours ago, webfact said:

will propose that the government increases the incentives for sugarcane growers not to burn it before harvesting.

 

From my experience living in sugarcane country in Isaan, whatever incentives are offered, the farmers will still burn the cane as it all comes down to economics, being paid by weight! (no leaves)

[Irish star]

Just drove from Udon to Korat yes they re burning 150 on IQAir app 

[zzaa09]

11 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

The sugar cane industry is evil. These farmers seem to have no regard toward their fellow Thais and are causing massive destruction to the environment. And the rich refiners are totally complicit in this crime. Either the government steps up, or they remain another lazy, do nothing administration. 

 

Sretta, are you a do nothing man, or not? 

 

Rather than partnering with our campaign, the sugar industry has demonized it, but their fear-mongering just crystalizes the truth for more and more Floridians. Take just a few moments to do the research and you will discover that green harvesting is anything but “anti-farming.” As a multi-million dollar industry, Big Sugar’s claim that green harvesting is too difficult, while less wealthy sugar-growing nations around the world have moved beyond sugar field burning, is an insult to American ingenuity and an outright lie.

 

https://www.global-organics.com/post.php?s=2021-06-03-the-alternative-to-burning-sugar-cane-is-a-win-win-win-solution-opinion

I believe all this is little short of a smoke screen [no puns intended]. 

In these instances, has little to do with the fashionable ideals of everything environmental or green, farmers independence or economic/societal factors. 

In the end - some nefarious circles are profiting, regardless of the politics behind such actions. 

[xtrnuno41]

Instead of buying submarines without engine, a stupid landbridge, F 16's F35, new airport in panhg nga, expanding airports,

start buying some sugar cane cutter machines.

Or pay the farmer more, so they can buy it.

Otherwise send all politicians out to fields to cut unbranded sugar cane. Nice workshop for working together.

[Mutt Daeng]

I take my dogs out for a walk @ 4.45 am. Yesterday and today there was a big red glow in the sky over nearby sugar cane fields (about 1-2 km from my house) and a layer of "black snow" in my garden. Is it not already illegal to burn sugar cane fields? I was under the impression it was.

Edited February 26 by Mutt Daeng

[spidermike007]

17 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

I believe all this is little short of a smoke screen [no puns intended]. 

In these instances, has little to do with the fashionable ideals of everything environmental or green, farmers independence or economic/societal factors. 

In the end - some nefarious circles are profiting, regardless of the politics behind such actions. 

Exactly it's the wealthy and the elite who own these sugar refineries, and do not give one iota of consideration to the environment, nor the common man, nor his plight, nor the laws, nor the  health of the nation. 

 

It is the incessant and non-stop worship of the golden calf, this is their God. 

[scorecard]

On 2/26/2024 at 7:45 AM, mikebell said:

Why not increase the police force or at least make some of them work?

Should be a dedicated agricultural inspectors team who handle this, who have knowledge of the subject.

 

Not the role of the RTP.

[Puccini]

Just now I remembered reading that the government announced specific periods during which sugar cane burning is allowed. Different periods for different regions.

[kickstart]

He also said that customers for cane leaves should be encouraged to buy more, to help reduce cane burning.

From the op .

These are bales of sugar cane leaves, from my area, this is the 3ed year they have been doing this, these bales are known as high density bales each one weighs 3-400 kg.

The buyer is our local sugar mill they use the bales as fuel to boil the molasses, they are paying about 600 baht/ton, so far this year they are buying a lot more than before, must be more geared up to use them have heard of straw being baled in Khon Khen province.

Baling the cane straw is ok but the baler is a secondhand imported, costing upwards of 600 000 baht, then you need a tractor to pull it normally rated at 120hp plus, which here in Thailand is a top of the range /price tag tractor, and a rake, mounted on a tractor to put the straw into rows is needed, budget 1 million baht, two million with tractor.

I would say the future is not all bleak, some growers are trying, in that big heap of bales is a good few  hundred ton, have seen truck and trailer being loaded up, and you cannot see were they have been.