Mechanization technology: The key to sugarcane production in China

Sugarcane is an important cash crop in southern China now planted on about 1.5 million ha in the main production areas in Guangxi, Zhuang Autonomous Region and Yunnan, Guangdong, and Hainan Provinces. Since the cost of labor in China is increasing rapidly and the price of local sugar is uncompetitive with the product from mechanized international producers, China needs to change its sugarcane production methods from manual work to mechanization in order to catch up with international trends in this global industry. Although a lot of effort in China have gone into sugarcane mechanization since the 1960s, the overall level of mechanization in sugarcane production is still only approximately 30%, which is about 20% lower than that achieved in the other main field crops. Almost all of the sugarcane grown in China is still harvested by hand. In order to summarize past experience and promote the mechanization of sugarcane production in China, this paper reviews the whole process of developing mechanization since 1960s and describes the current state of sugarcane mechanization in China. The research currently being undertaken and the main obstacles to be overcome in developing a mechanized sugarcane production system, are described. The design and testing of sugarcane harvesting machinery and its key components has been a significant research area by some Chinese universities, research institutes, and manufacturing companies in these past decades. This paper reviews that research and outlines the main achievements which have been made in this area. Mechanized harvesting systems for sugarcane, and the appropriate harvesting patterns suitable for different growing conditions applying in China, have also been studied. The paper concludes with some comments on the future directions for progress in China