SKIL in Cane Agriculture


 

Sugar cane is a relatively hardy tropical and sub-tropical crop which has been adapted to grow both in high rainfall areas and in desert conditions in which it is entirely dependent on irrigation. Growing the cane efficiently has greater financial impact on the profitability of an industry than the subsequent processing.

SKIL has been involved in all aspects of growing cane since 1981, both for large corporate estates and for farmers ranging from substantial growers down to subsistence farmers with a 1 hectare planting.

cane field

Seed Cane Field for the Government of Angola

 

CONCEPTUAL APPROACH

There are three main factors to be considered when assessing cane production and potential :

Climate

Meteorological data can be used to calculate the cane's transpiration requirement during the crop cycle and hence to determine the periodic water balance. From this it is possible to quantify irrigation and drainage requirements. Climatic records also help assess long term risk trends such as drought or frost damage, optimise the harvesting period and predict future yields.

This work is equally valid for new developments and for existing operations such as in Ethiopia where SKIL helped optimise the cane harvest.

Topography

The topography of future cane lands dictates the ability to irrigate and drain the land correctly and also the need for special erosion protection measures.

Where existing topographic data is inadequate SKIL arranges for aerial photography to produce the photogrametric maps necessary to design sugar estates and to act as base maps for the soil survey work.

Soils

The selection of land with more favourable soil types will enhance the profit potential of a new cane sugar development. Existing or new soil surveys with associated laboratory analyses will allow land suitability maps to be produced specifically for cane.

SKIL has successfully created such maps from existing data and, when needed, has had new surveys conducted for crop planning.

CANE AGRONOMY

SKIL has considerable cane agronomy experience in many parts of the world, a factor that helps bring a fresh approach to problems in cane agriculture.

Varieties

Variety selection and development is the key to profitable sugar production. Sugar content, yield potential, expected disease resistance and ratooning capability have to be assessed as an on-going process.

Well managed nursery areas are then required to ensure a continued supply of vigorous, disease-free seed cane.

Controls

Weeds, pests and diseases all need to be controlled for best sugar production but care is needed to do so profitably. Weed control therefore involves a mixture of cultivation and herbicide application.

Monitoring and timely control of pests and diseases is essential even with resistant cane varieties. We prefer field hygiene and biological controls to the use of chemicals but this is not always possible, such as in seed cane protection.

Ratoon Management

Growing a ratoon crop costs considerably less than growing plant cane and therefore achieving high yielding ratoon cane is a valuable objective. SKIL applies this in its approach to cane agriculture.

CANE MANAGEMENT

Agricultural managers in much of the cane sugar industry struggle with limited resources, both financial and human. The necessary skilled staff are frequently just not available to them locally. SKIL provides such skills on a visiting or semi-permanent basis while helping build up the capabilities of the local staff.

Organisation and Structure

Each cane growing operation requires its own appropriate management structure. In general we prefer a decentralised approach with area managers responsible for all operations. The extent to which they are supported by function specialists depends on the intensive nature of the estate and the degree of mechanisation and irrigation.

Field Records and Cost Control

Adequate records are a prerequisite to good management. They form the basis for future planning and for controlling the costs of labour, chemicals, spares and other consumables.

Staff Development and Training

The development of staff through parallel working is central to SKIL's philosophy but this needs supplementing with training programmes. This should be targeted for several levels of staff and might include the creation of a training centre and visits out of country. We consider the compilation of operating manuals as an integral part of training as well as being essential for good management. This has been successfully implemented in several cane industries.

NEW CANE DEVELOPMENTS

The development of new cane areas is equally applicable to existing estates and new projects. This is one aspect of cane agriculture which requires resources often beyond those normally available to the estate management.

SKIL helps manage such developments, discussing and reaching agreement with the Client on the key factors important to the circumstances:

Land Selection

Commencing with the land suitability maps, knowledge of the ownership and systems of land tenure are critical to land selection. Once suitable land has been identified the appropriate system of agriculture can be selected.

Water Source

In areas requiring irrigation it is necessary to review the topography, the soils and the water availability before proceeding. We use field trials in such circumstances to optimise the agriculture.>

Cultivation

Once the land is selected and water requirements satisfied it is possible to identify the best cultivation method for each section of the development, considering the irrigation and fertiliser regimes for each soil type. This in turn allows the potential cane yields to be calculated and ratooning capability to be predicted.

Cane Transport

The topography, distances from the mill, existing infrastructure and both capital and operating costs are taken into consideration in determining the optimum cane transport system.

Farm and Field Layouts

All of the factors discussed above influence the detailed arrangement of fields and field sizes. The design of the in-field cultural formation should take into account future trends in the mechanisation of field cultivation and harvesting methods. In particular field drains have to be formed to allow easy access for mechanical equipment.

Planning

The development of new land is expensive, takes time and must be planned to match available resources and predicted cane demand. Capital cost estimates and cash flow projections are needed to calculate the financial rates of return, whether for large scale or smallholder purposes. Early planning therefore needs to be an integral part of land developments but all the key decisions must be taken before plans are finalised.

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