Harvesting and transportation of sugar cane

Introduction

Harvesting is a key stage in the sugarcane agro-industrial process. Its objective is to collect mature cane stems in the field and guarantee their timely and sufficient supply to the factory in the shortest possible time with minimum losses and high efficiency, low levels of foreign matter (especially leaves, buds and soil) and at the lowest cost, seeking throughout the process to minimize its impact on the soil, the crop and the environment, all of which translates into a high-quality product at competitive prices. Its impact on production costs is highly significant, since any variation recorded at this stage will have a great impact – positive or negative – on the profitability of the crop. It is therefore clear why the goal of every sugar mill is to provide cane to the factory in the stipulated conditions of quantity and quality, in the agreed times and with the best use of the resources used (Amú, 2010).

In the Cauca River Valley, sugarcane harvesting has evolved from manual cutting and lifting to semi-mechanized operation (manual cutting and mechanized lifting) and to a fully mechanized system (Giraldo, 1995). According to Torres et al. (2009), the semi-mechanized system is cost-efficient and delivers cane with low foreign matter content, while to establish the mechanized system, adaptations are required in the field and factories, as well as in transport equipment. These statements were made when manual cutting was practiced in 85% of the area planted by the agroindustry and the green cane harvest (raw or without prior burning) still had goals to meet. In 2015, equal proportions of area with burned cane and green cane were harvested, and in 2023, green harvesting was practiced in 74% of the processed area and mechanized cutting, in 72%.

During these years of transition, the criteria for harvesting decisions have changed towards a more sustainable approach in relation to the care of people, air, soil and crops, fuel consumption and the quality of sugar cane for industrial use. Harvest models based on production forecasts in accordance with climate forecasts have been incorporated into the annual programming of the mills and are currently used in the daily logistical decisions required by the agro-industrial production system.

This document presents an overview of sugarcane harvesting in the Cauca River Valley, with emphasis on mechanized harvesting and transport logistics, including some management indicators, with special attention to the quality of the harvested cane.