Sugarcane cultivation Business: Sugarcane is a very important crop with many commercial applications.
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It is a rich source of sucrose and used in bio-gas and has lots of fiber.
Other applications of sugarcane are production of sugar, chemicals and fuel.
The byproducts are also useful in making fire, manure and used in distilleries.
Sugarcane exportation is a major revenue earner in countries like Jamaica.
The major derivatives of sugarcane is sugar and various sweeteners.
Commercial sugarcane farming is very lucrative and attractive to investors.
Sugarcane plants are rugged, grow easily and profitable.
It can grow on sandy block, dirt, and grassland.
However it is good to fertilize the land for better yield.
Sugarcane is a huge employer of labor directly or indirectly adding to the gross domestic growth of many countries.
Sugarcane Products
Sugarcane is used to make many useful products such as ethanol, bio-plastics and sugar.
Ethanol is a clean highly affordable and renewable source of fuel.
While bio-plastic is used as beverage containers and various food packaging requirements.
Byproducts such as molasses are used in distilleries and ‘bagasse’ is a fibrous residue from crushed sugarcane. Sugarcane is used to produce lactic acid, citric acid, ethyl alcohol, yeast
and sodium glutamate.
Others are animal feed, synthetic rubber, poly-ethylene and benzene.
Sugarcane cultivation Business
List of Sugarcane Products
Cane juice
Molasses
Refined syrups
Liquid sugar
Granulated sugar
Custom blends
Sweeteners
Papers
Animal feed
Chemicals
Economic Benefit of Sugarcane
The tall perennial true grass grows best in the tropics and warm temperate regions.
The fibrous stalk is rich in sucrose a sugar based product.
Commercial farmers prefer hybrid sugarcane plants that grow fast, adaptable to their climate and produce large quantity of sucrose.
Sugarcane is extracted through milling and produces 82% of the world’s sugar requirements.
The huge demand establishes sugarcane culture in many countries.
Major producers of sugarcane are India, Africa, America, and Jamaica.
Sugarcane cultivation Business
1. Availability of Land
You need vast vacant land to start a sugarcane plantation.
Make sure the soil composition is favorable including climatic conditions.
You have two options lease or buy land for your cultivation.
It is best to purchase rural farmlands because they are very cheap and fertile.
Makes sure the land is easily accessible through land or water.
Other requirements are closeness to source of water and proper irrigation.
Sugarcane cultivation Business
2. Climatic Conditions
Sugarcane grows in subtropical and tropical regions.
The lateral shoot at the base of the plant forms multiple stems that a planted by farmers.
Sugarcane is propagated by growing the 4m height stems in prepared beds.
The plant uses 150g to 300g of water to produce 1g of dry substance.
The moisture content in sugarcane varies from 45% to 83% depending on the climatic condition.
3. Nutrients and soil fertility:
The amount of nutrients and soil fertility is important to the growth of the plant.
Ideal bulk density of soil 1.1g/cm3 to 1.4g/cm3.
And water saturation capacity of 15cm and ph level of 7.
Sugarcane cultivation Business
4. Preparation of land for cultivation:
In many countries March is the ideal period to plant sugarcane.
Prepare the soil by tilling and adding organic manure for easy propagation.
Remove weeds, shrubs and roots to create room for growth.
Tillage is done either through manual manipulation or a mechanical device like a tractor.
5. Cultivation/ Planting Methods
Planting methods are done manually or mechanically.
The interspacing of sugarcane stalk is important to maximize yield.
The crops are usually arranged into long parallel rows which facilitate easier harvesting and pest control.
Do proper irrigation because water is important to the development and growth of the plant.
There are many designs and farming methods used by sugarcane farmers.
There is the tower design, compact farm design, water canal design and fully automated design.
Planting methods include trench, ridge and furrow methods.
The common method is to plant sets 2.5cm to 5 cm deep, 100 to 120 cm distance apart.
They are planted vertically in manure composite soil.
Large provisions of manure are used throughout the growing season.
Millers need to crush the sugarcane 24 hours after harvesting.
This effectively retains the sucrose content in the plant.
Mechanized farmers use a combined sugar harvester to harvest the crops.
Sugarcane cultivation Business
6. Farm Registration:
Register the sugarcane farm as a limited liability company.
You need land-use permit and trading license.
Find out other state and local government requirements in your country
To register your farm be it sugarcane or any other type with the Ministry of Agriculture, will help you get the full benefit from the Government.
The farming benefit from the government could be, supply of fertilizers, pest control, granting of loans, provision of improved seedlings, provision of machinery etc.
7. Financial considerations:
Running a sugarcane plantation is capital intensive.
Fixed assets account for 70% of total investment.
You need funding for mechanized machinery, landed property, building structures and purchasing stem buds.
Other financial considerations are labor costs, pest control, manure and irrigation.
Finance your enterprise by acquiring loans from commercial banks in your area.
There are agricultural banks eager to help aspiring farmers in most countries.
To secure loans you need collateral and a guarantor.
Write a business plan and carry out a feasibility study.
Sugarcane cultivation Business
8. Marketing Processes:
Sugarcane is valuable product that has a huge market.
Sugarcane has huge export potential and your major consumers are manufacturing companies.
Finding a good market isn’t difficult sustaining the supply is the major challenge.
Providing one of the basic commodities on the market such as sugar is really a good business to start.
If you have the guts and knowledge about on how to start sugar cane farming might as well read on this article and add some inputs on your knowledge.
If you are looking for a business and you want to start with the things that you have.
Sugarcane cultivation Business
You may need to look for the right business that best fit your existing resources so you will not need to dish out money in capitalizing other needs to start a business.
For those owners who have lots of acres that have been vacant for many years, you might as well use it to make money.
And make it useful for your family as a money maker.
Obviously, one of the possible businesses that you can have with having an acre of vacant lot is sugar cane farming.
But you can not hurriedly start with this kind of business unless you have some information on how to start sugar cane farming.
See also: Bitumen Business : How to Start and Make Money from it
9. Business Plan:
In starting this kind of business, you need to have careful plans on how to begin the business.
Consider it as an adventure and most exciting ventures that you will have.
It may be a challenging one but as long as you have all the information and skills needed.
Then there are ways to go and start your sugar cane farming.
Related article: 17 Facts about Garlic Cultivation Business
Sugarcane cultivation Business
10. Make a list and set a goal:
And to start with your venture, you might need to list down all your plans.
And set some goals and how to reach them.
With your existing resources, you may need to list down all the things you needed.
And as for sugar cane farming.
List down all equipment needed, number of workers, suppliers, probable clients and market.
11. Carry out Research for the consumers:
The important thing you need to do is to look for the probable demand of the product that you are about to provide your market.
Look for companies, sugar suppliers, direct dealers who are interested in doing business with you.
Negotiate to these companies, groups or individual who want to buy your sugar cane.
Discuss pricing and terms of agreement.
It is better to make things legal so you will be secured in any case that you have encounter problem on legality on your business deals.
While searching for clients, you need to acquire information and skills on how to run the business.
Sugarcane cultivation Business
12. Acquire additional skills:
Start on the lower level by learning how to plow soil, plant seeds, removing weeds applying insecticides and other farming skills.
You can start as an apprentice in a farm and experience the job of a farmer.
While learning some skills, do not hesitate to ask questions regarding the business to the farm owner.
Questions like where to buy equipment, prices of each, seed supplier and buyers of the crop.
Sugarcane cultivation Business
13. Start-up your business and employ few helping hands:
After learning the skills of a farmer, you are now ready with learning management stuffs.
Of course you will need few workers in the beginning so you will not be pressured in handling number of people who will work on your farm.
And as soon as you are capable and skilled enough to handle almost everything on your sugar cane farming.
You may now look forward on expanding your business for a higher profit.
Read also: How to Start Soybean Farming Business