'Black sugar' strikes again
published : 29 Jan 2021 at 04:00
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Early this week, residents of some provinces that serve as hubs for cash crops like rice and sugar cane started to choke on PM2.5 fine dust as many farmers began to burn farm waste. The dust levels caused by this method have exceeded the official "safe" threshold of 50 microgrammes per cubic metre.
One of the major culprits is "black sugar", the ecologically destructive harvesting practice which prevails in the industry. The increase in dust particles from sugar cane plantation burning often starts at the end of each year and lasts until April. Numerous planters burn sugar cane before cutting, knowing full well that such a practice will cause the price to drop and lower the product quality. They do so because they want to save time and labour costs.