Maps of Soil Nutrient Status: A Happy Signal for Sugarcane Farmers

(GLO) – 4 years after entering into the strategic partnership agreement to develop the sugarcane cultivation areas in the East Gia Lai, Japan Vietnam Fertilizer (JVF) has handed over Maps of Soil Nutrient Status to Quang Ngai Sugar JSC (QNS). Based on such maps, QSC is able to set up a process of cultivation and fertilization suitable for each type of soil that would improve sugarcane farmers’ production efficiency.

Mr. Vo Thanh Dang, General Director of QNS, shared that “In 2000, QNS established An Khe Sugar Factory and was assigned a big acreage for sugarcane cultivation in K’Bang, Kong Chro, Dak Po and An Khe Town by the government of Gia Lai province. In May 2017, QNS and JVF entered into a strategic partnership agreement to develop sugarcane cultivation areas in Gia Lai, including the project of soil nutrient maps for the East Gia Lai”.

After 4 years, JVF completed 15 maps, including 3 maps showing the soil sampling, the soil classification and the land-use status, and 12 maps showing soil nutrient status in districts and towns with the total evaluated acreage over 29,463 hectares.

Mr. Le Vinh Hung, Advisor of JVF General Director, also informed that “In order to make those soil nutrient maps, since 2011, JVF took 226 soil samples, in which 205 samples’ coordinates were recorded and results were analyzed by Kriging interpolation methods. In addition, JVF also made a brief report on methods of sampling, analysis and mapping of soil nutrient status in material areas; thereby, we could recommend to sugarcane farmers suitable fertilizers for each type of soil so that famers can save more money while increasing efficiency”.

According to a comment of PhD. Cao Anh Duong’s, Director of Sugarcane Research Institute of Vietnam, that applying such soil nutrient maps to sugarcane production would reduce costs and increase profits for each ton of sugarcane and it would also support and facilitate the 4.0 technology application. Those maps would be scientific basis for QNS to select suitable fertilizers for each type of soil; and JVF should continue its demonstrations to evaluate fertilizer efficiency and to improve specialized fertilizers for sugarcane; thereby, the parties can develop, expand consumption market and increase cultivation efficiency so that sugarcane farmers’ lives and incomes can be improved further.

The use of such maps is a good news to sugarcane farmers in the East Gia Lai. Mr. Nguyen Cang (Dak Hlo Village, K’Bang District) shared that: “Based on those maps, we are looking forward to new development orientations of the 2 companies to increase sugarcane yield and quality and to improve farmers’ incomes”.

In the view of management, Mr. Nguyen Truong, Chairman of Dak Po People’s Committee, commented that: “In the coming time, the two companies should continue and improve this project further for the best efficiency to sugarcane farmers and the two companies and that will also actively contribute to the local agricultural sustainable development. To our side, we will try our bests to support scientists, companies and farmers to achieve the highest goal that is the production efficiency”.

Also relating to this matter, Mr. Doan Ngoc Co, Vice Director of Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, told that: “Sugarcane is one of main crops in the East Gia Lai. Based on this result, in the coming time, the local governments and An Khe Sugar Factory need to apply advanced technologies, speed up the mechanization, intensify the association of production and consumption, build up big fields of sugarcane as well as implement demonstrations, evaluation and selection of varieties which could produce high yield and quality and well resist pests and diseases so that farmers could have the best variety for their production to improve their incomes”.

By NGOC MINH (Gia Lai Online)

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/channel/8208/202012/ban-do-hien-trang-dinh-duong-dat-tin-hieu-vui-cho-nguoi-trong-mia-5712348