Bourbon-Tay Ninh cafe
Nguyen Van Con, a farmer in Tan Chau District, Tay Ninh Province, and
his family have been busy these days, as the sugarcane is under
harvest. On this morning, instead of visiting his field, Con rides his
motorbike to a caf‚.
Con goes to the Bourbon-Tay Ninh Caf‚ in Tan Chau District. He orders a
cup of coffee while waiting for Nguyen Van Chap, director of agriculture of
Sarl Sucrerie Bourbon Tay Ninh (SBT), a wholly French-owned company
with an investment capital of US$113 million, the largest in Vietnam so far.
Con says: "I signed a contract to grow and sell sugarcane to SBT a few
years ago. There is nothing to complain about the company's investment
policies, buying price and sugar content measurement. But my wife and
my children do not agree on the transport cost offered by SBT." A farmer
growing sugarcane in a neighboring locality receives a transport cost of
VND33,000 for a ton of sugarcane by local sugar mills. Meanwhile, SBT
offers VND32,000/ton, VND1,000/ton lower. With some 2,400 tons of
sugarcane harvested from his 40-hectare field, Con loses around
VND2.4 million a year.
Chap's arrival triggers a discussion between the director of agriculture of
a sugar plant, with a daily capacity of 8,000 tons of cane, and an old,
experienced farmer. Chap says, "When SBT paid a higher transport cost
last crop, there was no complaint from farmers. Now..." Not allowing Chap
to finish, Con argues that the transport cost problem has created big
losses for farmers this year. Finally, they reach an agreement. They relax
for a while, sipping their coffee and listening to the music before returning
to their daily activities.
Le Thanh Thu, SBT's director of development, says: "SBT has
cooperated with an owner of a local coffee shop to re-decorate the
Bourbon-Tay Ninh Caf‚ to attract farmers who seldom go there to have
coffee and discuss business. The caf‚ is situated at a favorable
crossroads in Tan Chau District and is adjacent to Tan Bien District.
These two districts are the main sugarcane cultivation areas for SBT."
"Concrete offices and safeguard posts are obstacles for relations
between leaders of the sugar plant and farmers. It is much easier for
cane growers to meet and talk with leaders of the sugar plant in a caf‚
like this," says Gerard Dabilly, SBT director general. He asserts: "I will
be a regular client of this caf‚. I can easily receive update information on
those farmers who have signed contracts with the plant."
"The caf‚ is a
'front' rep office of SBT," says Dabilly humorously.
The Bourbon Tay Ninh Caf‚, which opened on November 23 this year,
has attracted the attention of cane growers in the region.
Thu says every day SBT sends an employee to the caf‚ to collect
information from farmers there.
SBT is probably the first among the 44 sugar plants in Vietnam to
establish relation with farmers at a caf‚.
By Hong Van - The Saigon Times Weekly - December 22, 2001.
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