The Ministry of Industry has ordered the immediate closure of a sugar mill in Udon Thani province, after the facility was found to have bought burned sugarcane in excess of the maximum quota of 25% of production capacity.
The power plant of the Thai Udon Thani Sugar Company, which owns the sugar mill, was also closed by the ministry for failing to meet safety standards.
The abrupt closure of the mill in Ban Phue district has resulted in more than 1,200 trucks, laden with both burned and fresh sugarcane, being left unloaded.
Industry Minister Akanat Promphan said today that the Thai Udon Thani Sugar Company had accepted about 400,000 tonnes of burned sugarcane, or 43.11% of the cane for milling.
He claimed that 400,000 tonnes of burned sugarcane does the equivalent environmental damage as the burning of 6,400 hectares of forest.
The Ministry of Industry has discouraged sugarcane farmers from burning their canes, which makes them easier to cut and saves labour costs, but the burning causes air pollution which is harmful to health.
The secretary-general of the Isan Nua Thai Udon-Ban Phue Sugarcane Farmers Association has, however, cried foul over the ministry’s directive limiting burned cane to 25%, claiming that such a limit is unfair to farmers and has resulted in a backlog of unsold burned sugarcane.
He said that the burned sugarcane will rot or lose its sweetness if left unmilled for a long time.
To discourage farmers from burning the cane in the plantations, he suggested that the ministry should set the price of milled fresh sugarcane at least 200-300 baht/ton more than that of burned cane.
According to the Sugarcane and Sugar Committee, 22 of the country’s 58 sugar mills bought less than 10% burned sugarcane, while 32 bought between 10% and 25%. Only 4 bought more than 25%.
