Harvest
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.
About the authors
Amú Caicedo, LG
Industrial Engineer and Master in Industrial Engineering with an emphasis on Logistics and Production from the Universidad del Valle. Lean Expert from the Lean Institute Colombia. He has more than 20 years of experience in the sugar sector in the areas of logistics, manual and mechanical harvesting of sugar cane, agricultural processes and technology transfer in companies such as Cenicaña and Manuelita SA. Speaker at national and international conferences and seminars. Currently he works as Field and Harvest Manager at Ingenio Manuelita, where he also held the positions of Head of Harvest Logistics, Harvest Manager and Field Manager. At Cenicaña he was the coordinator of the CATE project in its initial stage.
Estrada Bedón, A.
Agroindustrial Engineer with a Master's degree in Engineering with an emphasis on Industrial Engineering. Graduated in 2004 from the National University of Colombia, Palmira campus, and in 2009 from the University of Valle, Cali campus. Joined Cenicaña in 2008 as a research engineer in the CATE macroproject (phases I and II), where he works on studies and characterization of times and movements of the sugarcane cutting, harvesting, transportation and delivery system to the factory, support in the development of new harvesting and transportation equipment, optimization of the sugarcane supply chain in Colombian sugar mills and economic estimation of the different activities of the sugarcane harvesting and transportation system.
Abbey, LA
Industrial Engineer, Universidad Autónoma de Occidente in Cali. Specialist in Productivity and Production Control with 30 years of experience in research, operation, development, management and training in semi-mechanized sugarcane harvesting systems using mechanical harvesters. Improver of mechanical systems for mechanical harvesting in Colombia and other countries, with emphasis on harvest quality, less loss of sucrose between harvest and milling, and quality control of operational indicators, in order to reduce foreign matter and deterioration of the cane. Specialist in sugarcane transportation models using engineering and administrative tools that minimize the final cost; creator of the Control and Logistics Tower at Central Castilla SA, the first in the sector. National and international speaker and lecturer, advisor in the CATE macroproject (phase II) of Cenicaña, 2022-2023. Dedicated to master training, agricultural advice and consulting and mechanical maintenance, operational logistics, preparation of training plans in sugar mills, including mechanization in agricultural work and the development of Technical Schools for training operational personnel in harvesting, field and agricultural mechanical maintenance.
Galeano Patiño, SA
Agroindustrial Engineer graduated from the Universidad San Buenaventura in Cali (2006), with an MBA from the ISEAD Business School in Madrid, Spain (2012). Linked to the sugarcane agroindustry sector since 2005 with an applied degree thesis on "Improvement alternatives for the sugarcane supply system to the factory" at the María Luisa Sugar Mill. Between 2006 and 2008 he was a researcher sponsored by Colciencias at the BIOTEC Corporation Research Center, CIAT headquarters, developing the proposal for a "Knowledge management model for production chains in the Valle del Cauca bioregion". From 2009 to 2022 he worked in the sugar industry directing Field and Harvest operations, where continuous improvement of processes was achieved with a focus on Site-Specific Agriculture and increased operational efficiency of CATE, through the execution of technology-based projects. He currently coordinates the CATE macroproject at the Sugarcane Research Center of Colombia, integrating the activities of five projects that seek to improve the profitability and sustainability of the agroindustry.
Chica Ramirez HA
Agricultural Engineer from the University of Caldas, Master in Mathematics from the Technological University of Pereira and PhD candidate in Engineering from the University of Valle. He has more than 20 years of experience in the area of analysis and design of experiments, stochastic simulation and deterministic and statistical modeling of crops in the coffee and sugar sectors in companies such as Cenicafé and Cenicaña. Speaker at national and international conferences and seminars. Currently he works as head of the Analytical Service at Cenicaña and in functions of mathematical optimization and formulation of projects aimed at the mathematical modeling of supply chains.
Tarapues Ipial, HB
Mechanical Engineer in 2019 from the Universidad del Valle, Colombia. In 2023, at the same institution, he is a candidate to obtain a master's degree in Engineering with an emphasis on Mechanical Engineering. Linked to the Sugarcane Research Center of Colombia, Cenicaña, as a Mechanical Engineer in the CATE area (Cutting, Lifting, Transport and Delivery), since 2022. The main areas of work are: dynamics and design of machinery and mechanical systems; evaluation and failure analysis of mechanical systems; implementation of monitoring techniques associated with machinery conditions, reliability methodologies and
management systems for their maintenance, in accordance with the organizational characteristics and supported by current international regulations.
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