According to Fan, he planted sugarcanes on more than 100 mu (each mu equals 0.067 hectares) of farmland and tended the farmland in accordance with the guidance given by a computerized agrotechnique information service operated by the local agricultural department of Fusui County, a major cane sugar production base in Guangxi.

In the end, Fan was blessed with an increase of 915.5 kg of sugarcane on each mu of land, earning an extra 219 yuan on each mu of farmland.

Using a computerized agrotechnique information service to give guidance to farmers in farming is just one of the measures Guangxi, the country's largest cane sugar producer, has been practicing in order to get local sugar industry well prepared for challenges arising from China's forthcoming accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Chen Wenru, deputy Party secretary of Fusui County, believes that the domestic sugar industry will face stiff competition following China's entry into the WTO, because after the WTO entry, tariffs on imported sugar will gradually be slashed from the current 30 percent to 15 percent.

"We have been trying hard to reduce production costs through such ways as raising the per-unit output of sugarcane, applying high-quality sugarcane varieties to greater areas of farmland and offering better services, including computerized agrotechnique information services," said Chen.

According to Chen, 29,200 hectares of sugarcane were grown in his county this year, of which, a quarter were brought under management of the computerized agrotechnique information service.

He predicted increases of 220,000 tons in the output of sugarcane, 18,000 tons of cane sugar, or 110 yuan (US$13.3) in local farmers' income, as well as 65 million yuan (US$7.8 million) in added industrial output value this year.

Yang Daoxi, head of the regional development planning commission, noted it is necessary for local sugar-making industrial businesses to carry out technical upgrading, trying hard to lower costs, carry out in-depth processing, develop new products and enhance competitiveness.

According to Yang, two plants will be built in Guangxi's Guigang and Nanning to produce fuel ethanol by using by-products from nearby sugar-processing mills.

(Xinhua News Agency 10/29/2001)