Extreme heat wipes out sugarcane crops

On April 14, Ho Van Thao, secretary of the Party Committee of Phu Tuc Commune, said local authorities have urged sugar mills to accelerate the purchase of fire-damaged cane to help farmers minimize losses.

Earlier, according to residents' reports, a large fire broke out on the afternoon of April 13 in sugarcane fields straddling the boundary between Phu Tuc and Ia Rsai communes, destroying dozens of hectares of cane nearing harvest.

At the scene, reporters observed vast stretches of fields reduced to charred ground, the air thick with the acrid smell of smoke. In many plots, only blackened stalks remained standing, creating a scene of devastation. Dozens of farmers worked urgently to cut and gather the burned cane into piles for immediate sale, hoping to salvage part of their losses.

Doan Van Thuyen, a farmer in Hamlet 10 of Phu Tuc Commune, said five hectares of his family’s crop were completely destroyed. The fire, he said, started at the foot of a hill and spread rapidly across the fields, fueled by intense heat and strong winds. Despite mobilizing more than 10 people to fight the blaze, the flames moved too quickly to be contained.

Thuyen added that his family had invested heavily in cultivation this year, and the crop had been performing well, with harvest expected within days. Yields were projected at around 120 metric tons per hectare, promising a stable income.

However, the fire has severely damaged the crop; the cane is now charred, with reduced sugar content, which will significantly lower purchase prices.

“Fortunately, the mills have begun buying early to limit losses. At this point, we can’t even think about profit or loss,” Thuyen said.

According to Ho Van Thao, preliminary assessments put total damage at approximately 28 hectares across 12 households in Ia Rsai and Phu Tuc communes. All of the burned acreage has been identified within Ia Rsai Commune.

“Immediately after the incident, local authorities coordinated damage assessments and notified sugar mills to assist farmers in selling the burned cane,” Thao said. “So far, mills have proactively sent vehicles directly to the fields to purchase cane, helping farmers expedite the harvest and partially reduce losses.”

Vo Ngoc Chau, chairman of the Ia Rsai Commune People’s Committee, said local officials promptly contacted sugar mills upon receiving reports of the fire, urging them to speed up procurement so residents could quickly sell the affected crop.

Authorities have also called on mills to implement appropriate support policies for damaged cane, in an effort to help farmers cope with the unexpected losses.