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7272185 
Journal Article 
Mechanising sugarcane harvesting in China: A review 
Wegener, M; Ou, Y; Yang, D; Liu, Q; Zheng, D; , 
2014 
0 
International Sugar Journal
ISSN: 0020-8841 
INT SUGAR JOURNAL LTD 
KENT 
272-277 
WOS:000334326900045 
As the third largest sugarcane producer in the world, China now grows about 1.5 million hectares of sugarcane and almost all of it is still harvested by hand. The process is slow and costly, labour productivity is low, and labour in countryside areas has become more expensive and difficult to recruit. There are strong economic reasons and policy support from the central and local governments in the main production areas driving the Chinese sugar industry towards mechanisation. The current cost of hand-harvesting sugarcane in China exceeds the cost of doing it by machine in Australia. In addition, it is estimated that the cost of machine harvesting in China would also be less than manual harvesting. While the experience of Australia, USA, Brazil, and Thailand regarding the kinds of machinery systems they use is relevant, and the economic analyses of their systems is of interest, only about 10% of the current sugarcane area in China could be harvested with the large machines used in those countries. If the Chinese industry is to convert successfully to mechanical harvesting, smaller machines adapted to suit Chinese conditions, with small farms, steeply sloping land, relatively low cane yields, and less developed transport infrastructure, need to be developed. The main developments in mechanised cane harvesting systems for China are reviewed and opportunities and challenges outlined.