Main Practices and Future Development of the Green Food Cane Sugar Industry in Guangxi

Shumei LIU, Yanli CHEN

Abstract The present situation of sugarcane production in Guangxi was introduced. The main practices of Guangxi green food cane sugar industry development were overviewed in terms of the green production for improving quality of sugarcane in Guangxi， green mechanism and joint development， block management for ensuring quality， green recycling and turning waste into treasure， building double-high bases for improving quality and increasing quantity， and sustainable development and thoroughly implementation by taking up residence. Prospects for the future development of the green food cane sugar industry in Guangxi were put forward.

Key words Green food; Cane sugar; Future development

Received： April 6， 2022  Accepted： June 8， 2022

Supported by Youth Fund Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China （42105175）.

Shumei LIU （1979-）， female， P. R. China， agronomist， devoted to research about agriculture products of non-pollution， green， organic and national geographic indication standard.

*Corresponding author.

Guangxi is Chinas largest sugarcane production base and sugar production center. In the past 10 years， Guangxis cane sugar output has continued to account for more than 60% of the countrys total， making it the largest sugar warehouse in China. Guangxi sugarcane production involves a large number of people and a wide range of areas， including more than 20 million sugarcane farmers and more than 100 000 industrial workers. Guangxis 26 national poverty-stricken counties， 15 provincial-level poverty alleviation counties and 6 border counties have developed sugar cane production. Over the years， Guangxis green food cane sugar has been developing continuously. In 2021， 24 cane sugar enterprises in Guangxi had obtained green food certification for 31 products， with a certified area of 225 800 hm2， and the green food white sugar output reached 3 201 600 t. The green food cane sugar industry has become an important advantageous industry in the rural revitalization of Guangxi. Qiu[1] put forward the technological innovation of cane sugar industry in Guangxi and analyzed the problems and countermeasures of technological innovation in pillar industries of Guangxi. Deng[2] put forward the main problems faced by the sustainable development of Guangxis cane sugar industry， and put forward countermeasures. Wei[3] analyzed the reasons for the degeneration of the Xintaitang No.22， and put forward corresponding countermeasures for these reasons. Hou[4] analyzed the current situation and existing problems of sugarcane planting， cane sugar processing and cane sugar trade in Guangxi， and put forward countermeasures for the development of Guangxis cane sugar industry， that is， promoting the intensive management of sugarcane planting， accelerating the adjustment of the organizational structure of the sugar industry， developing processing equipment and technical processes， developing supporting industries and extending the industrial chain. Duan[5] discussed the development status and countermeasures of Guangxis cane sugar industry， analyzed the development status of Guangxis sugar industry， and put forward corresponding countermeasures. Li et al.[6] analyzed the development trend of Guangxis sugarcane sugar industry and researched on its upgrading and transformation countermeasures. Dong et al.[7] discussed the development status of Guangxis cane sugar industry from four aspects： the advantages， disadvantages， opportunities and threats of Guangxis cane sugar industry and put forward development strategies.

Problems in the Cane Sugar Industry

Small scale

In the sugarcane planting areas of Guangxi， the average planting area of farmers is relatively small due to more people and less land. At present， the average sugarcane planting area per household is less than 0.33 hm2， and the per capita sugarcane output is less than 5 t. Meanwhile， sugarcane fields are relatively scattered， so sugarcane planting is relatively scattered and the scale is low. At present， Guangxi is mainly based on household contracting and individual planting. And only in the agricultural reclamation sugarcane area， large-scale sugarcane planters have achieved large-scale production. In addition， most sugarcane farmers still use traditional planting methods to complete their farming， and generally do not implement refined management， so the actual production efficiency of sugarcane is not optimistic.

Low degree of mechanization and high labor cost

Mechanized sugarcane planting in Guangxi has relatively low level overall， accounting for about 42%. Meanwhile， agricultural machinery is generally used in sugarcane cultivation， and no mechanization is implemented in the harvesting process. The terrain of Guangxi is mainly hills and mountains， which account for more than 70%， while the introduction of agricultural machinery into Guangxi has caused many problems， including the impact of economic environment and natural environment. These factors have led to the fact that agricultural mechanization in Guangxi is still in the initial stage of development. The lack of mechanization is mainly manifested in the low level of modern agricultural machinery and equipment. Sugarcane is an important pillar industry for agricultural development in Guangxi， and planting sugarcane is the top priority. However， the mechanization level of sugarcane harvesting is low compared with the level of sugarcane cultivation.

Relatively weak infrastructure of sugarcane fields

Since sugarcane planting in Guangxi has not been scaled and industrialized， the individual planting model is used more， and its infrastructure configuration is relatively weak. In the individual planting mode， farmers can invest limited funds， manpower and material resources in sugarcane planting， so the lack of infrastructure such as water conservancy irrigation infrastructure and the lack of construction of transportation roads are relatively common.

Single species

At present， the most common sugarcane variety in Guangxi is Xintaitang 22. This variety has a planting history of more than 20 years， and it has been favored by sugarcane farmers in Guangxi with good agronomic properties. At this stage， the planting ratio of Xintaitang 22 is 77.29%， while the planting ratios of other sugarcane varieties such as Xintaitang 16 and Xintaitang 25 are 6.3% and 5.5% respectively. Generally， a reasonable planting ratio should be 20% of each variety， so the proportion of sugarcane planting varieties in Guangxi is unreasonable. Once disaster weather such as freezing damage occurs， it is very easy to cause large-scale damage to the sugarcane field， which is not conducive to the development of the sugarcane planting industry.

Through the research progress of the green food cane sugar industry in Guangxi， we will improve green food cane sugar and realize the whole-process standardized management of the production process， so that the products can achieve high quality and good price， and finally realize the economic benefits of green food cane sugar production enterprises and cane farmers.

Main Practices of the Green Food Cane Sugar Industry

Green production for improving quality

Guangxis green food cane sugar is strictly in accordance with green food standards from production to processing， and the varieties and amounts of input products are strictly controlled in the production process. The pesticides and fertilizers used by green food cane sugar companies in their sugar cane areas are uniformly purchased by the companies from qualified suppliers and distributed to sugarcane farmers. The pesticides and fertilizers comply with NY/T 393-2020 Green food—Guideline for application of pesticide and NY/T 394-2021 Green food—Guideline for application of fertilizer. Training and publicity are provided to the majority of sugarcane farmers on green food sugarcane planting techniques， making green food knowledge well-known to every household. During the crushing season， equipment and pipelines are regularly washed and disinfected to ensure that the environment， external cleaning of equipment and facilities， and food contact surfaces are effectively cleaned and disinfected. The flow of people， logistics， airflow， water flow， impurities， allergens and other factors in the key finished areas of the product are strictly controlled during the processing process. By supervising the whole process of sugar cane production， cane sugar processing and product packaging and transportation， the quality of green food cane sugar is guaranteed.

Green mechanism， linked development

Guangxis green food sugarcane industry implements the green development mechanism of "risk sharing， benefit sharing" （government participation in sugarcane planting and pricing）， and adopts the management model of "company + farmers + orders" to manage sugarcane planting bases and farmers. This management mode that adapts to local conditions is mature and effective， and farmers and the scale of enterprises planting green food sugar cane are relatively stable， which effectively avoids the sudden increase or decrease of sugar cane， and the safety risks are controllable， so farmers， enterprises and the government all recognize it， which promotes the green and sustainable development of Guangxi sugar industry.

Block management for ensuring quality

The sugarcane areas of Guangxi sugar enterprises are demarcated by the peoples governments of cities and counties， and green food sugar cane adopts the management model of "company + farmers" to manage sugarcane planting bases and farmers. The companies subdivide green food sugar cane areas into multiple internal control organizations， and local governments also strongly support and help， and the allocation of institutional managers can take into account each base in the sugarcane area. Under the mutual coordination between the government and sugar enterprises， growers are effectively guided and supervised to scientifically do a good job in green food sugar cane planting， fertilization， weeding， insect control， cutting and transportation management. It is strictly required to standardize the planting and production of green food sugarcane from sources， so that the quality of sugarcane is ensured to meet the quality requirements of enterprise orders.

Building double-high bases for improving quality and increasing quantity

In order to promote the development of green food white sugar， Guangxi vigorously promotes "double high" （high-yield and high-sugar） sugarcane planting， builds  "double-high" sugarcane planting demonstration bases， and makes every effort to promote mechanically integrated planting. Taking "connected roads and connected canals enabling drainage from floods and irrigation from droughts" as the standard for planting and promotion， they realize the cultivation of improved seeds， large-scale operation， the modernization of water conservancy， the mechanization of production， and the cooperation of agriculture， science and technology， cane sugar and other departments. A new model of mechanized sugarcane planting in the whole process of ploughing， planting， management and harvesting has been formed， and green food sugar cane bases with lower input cost and higher output， sugar content and quality have been built， which will drive the high-quality development of Guangxis green food sugarcane industry. In 2020， the government issued the Guangxi Sugar Industry Three-Year Action Plan for Cost Reduction and Efficiency Improvement， aiming to further narrow the gap with the international advanced level and promote the overall competitiveness of the sugar industry to improve significantly through the adoption of three major actions： cost reduction and efficiency increase in sugar cane production， cost reduction and efficiency increase action in sugar production， and cost reduction and efficiency increase action in sugar trade and logistics.

Shumei LIU et al. Main Practices and Future Development of the Green Food Cane Sugar Industry in Guangxi

It can be seen from Table 1 and Fig. 1 that the sugarcane planting area basically changed little from the 2016/2017-2020/2021 crushing seasons. The amount of crushed cane was the highest in the 2018/2019 crushing season， at 53 million tons， and showed a trend of increasing to decreasing. The highest sugar yield was in the 2019/2020 crushing season， at 6 287 800 t， and the highest average sugar production rate was in the 2020/2021 crushing season， at 13.11%.

Green recycling， turning waste into treasure

Guangxi green food cane sugar follows the concept of green development. After sugarcane is cut and harvested， it is basically possible to make sugarcane a treasure all over the body， achieving "zero waste" and achieving green and sustainable development. Old sugarcane leaves that cannot enter factories are returned to the field， and sugarcane shoots and green leaves of sugarcane are recycled by sugarcane farmers and fed to cattle and sheep to increase benefits. All by-products from the sugarcane entering factories can be comprehensively utilized， and a number of relatively complete circular economy industrial chains with Guangxi characteristics have been formed. Statistics show that an average of 8 t of sugarcane can produce 1 t of sugar， but for every 1 t of sugar produced， 2 to 3 t of bagasse will be produced. In addition to sugar extraction， bagasse has concentrated sources and large output， and become a large part of the by-products of sugar mills. Bagasse from sugar mills is partly used for pulping and papermaking， and partly as fuel and sent to boilers. There are also some sugar factories that use bagasse for biomass power generation， which can meet the electricity demand of sugar factories and have surplus. For sugar mills， using bagasse as a biomass raw material is a shortcut to the transformation of the energy structure， and its benefits are considerable. The sugarcane processing industry chain has been continuously extended. Sugarcane molasses is used to produce alcohol， and alcohol waste liquid can be used to produce bio-organic fertilizers. Sugarcane filter mud can also be used to produce bio-organic fertilizers.

Sustainable development， thoroughly implementation by every household

The poverty-stricken areas in Guangxi have upgraded the traditional cane sugar industry to a green food cane sugar industry， which not only improves product quality， but also incorporates the concept of green development throughout the entire sugarcane production， processing and extension of the industrial chain. The use of fertilizers for green food sugarcane is about 25% less than that of conventional products， and the use of chemical pesticides is reduced by about 40%. The annual reduction of chemical fertilizer application is 62 000 t， and chemical pesticides are reduced by 80.4 t. Green cane sugar is developed， and the concept of green development has taken root in poverty-stricken areas.

Suggestions on Developing the Green Food Cane Sugar Industry

Guangxi continues to apply the concept of green development throughout all cane sugar production processes， and further exerts the leading role of green food cane sugar in industrial poverty alleviation.

Supporting and organizing cane sugar enterprises to actively declare green food

It is necessary to mobilize enterprises to organize the application of green food certification in Guangxi cane sugar producing areas. Especially in the agricultural reclamation sugarcane areas， their areas are relatively large， and their development can drive the development of green sugarcane planting in the entire sugarcane area. We should strive to make Guangxi green food cane sugar production account for more than half of the total cane sugar.

Increasing subsidies for newly declared green food cane sugar products

For newly declared and certified green food cane sugar enterprises， the finance department of the autonomous region should provide financial subsidies to the counties， cities and districts where the enterprises are located every year， so as to encourage enterprises to sell green food cane sugar with labels， strengthen product brand building， and enhance market competitiveness.

Strengthening the management of green food sugar cane bases and cane sugar processing

Green food cane sugar enterprises should manage and strengthen quality control strictly in accordance with the green food sugar cane planting， processing regulations and quality control specifications to ensure the quality of cane sugar. Our region builds sugar industry big data "one map， one work network， and one information service command platform" to realize the supervision of sugarcane from planting to harvesting and transportation， thereby promoting the regions sugar industry to save costs and increase income and enhancing the competitiveness of the development of the sugar industry.

Strengthening the training of green food inspectors， internal inspectors and supervisors

Every year， green food inspectors and supervisors in various cities are organized to conduct training and learning， and online learning is conducted for internal inspectors， so that they can give full play to their respective supervision and inspection roles in the development of the green food cane sugar industry to ensure that the products meet the green food certification.

Continuing to encourage green food cane sugar enterprises to help the poor and bring wealth to the local poor areas and poor cane farmers

During the planting， harvesting and crushing seasons， companies hire some impoverished sugarcane farmers to work， provide assistance， and continue to promote rural revitalization in an all-round way to ensure stable agricultural production and increase in sugarcane farmers income.

Conclusions

In recent years， although Guangxi has gradually promoted the construction of "double-high" bases for cane sugar and made great progress， most of Guangxi is dominated by mountains and hills， and the planting fields are scattered. There are few conditions suitable for full-machine production， and the technical performance cannot meet the actual production needs， which makes the development of the cane sugar industry in Guangxi lag behind. Therefore， sugarcane farmers， enterprises and government departments should take further measures in terms of green food sugar cane bases and cane sugar processing management. Based on characteristic resources， we should develop advantageous industries， increase support， improve relevant policies， and cultivate and attract more professional talents， so as to promote relevant enterprises to develop production machinery according to local conditions， accelerate and stabilize the development of the cane sugar industry in the region， and enhance market competitiveness. Taking the road of high-quality development of green food， we can finally realize rural revitalization and industrial revitalization， and increase the economic income of sugarcane farmers.

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