Mar 12, 2010
Sao Paulo Sugarcane Producers Switching To Mechanical Harvesting
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The traditional method of harvesting sugarcane in Brazil was to burn off the dry leaves before cutting the sugarcane by hand. Those traditional methods are quickly being replaced by mechanical harvesting. Not only is mechanical harvesting more efficient, it also has tremendous environmental benefits by eliminating pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Approximately 56% of the sugarcane produced in Sao Paulo is already being mechanically harvested and that percentage is increasing every year.
The state of Sao Paulo produces about 60% of the sugarcane grown in Brazil and when burring was a common practice, it resulted in a blue haze of smoke hanging over the sugarcane-producing region of the state. This was especially a problem during the dry season (May to September) when there are very few rain showers to clean the air. During the burning, a large amount of carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, other greenhouse gases, and particulate matter was released into the atmosphere. The particulate matter was particularly troublesome for people with breathing abnormalities.
In 2007, the state of Sao Paulo reached an agreement with the sugarcane producers in the state to phase out the use of burning and to substitute mechanical harvesting in its place. By the year 2014, the agreement calls for 90% of the state's sugarcane to be mechanically harvested.
Mechanical harvesters shred the leaves and leave it as a much on the soil surface, which has additional benefits. The much reduces erosion, improves the infiltration of rainwater into the soil, increases the organic matter content of the soil, and improves the overall fertility of the soil. Mechanical harvesting is also more efficient and it saves on labor costs.
On the negative side, switching to mechanical harvesting requires additional capital expenditures on the part of the producer and it could lead to additional rural unemployment since fewer workers are needed to harvest the sugarcane.