Xiaogang Sugarcane

Xiaogang Sugarcane

　　Fengcheng has long been one of Jiangxi Province’s renowned sugarcane-producing areas, with a long history of sugarcane cultivation. The Jiangxi Scenic Spots records: “Jiangxi’s sweet sugarcane is mostly produced in Nanchang and Fengcheng…” The Ming Dynasty’s Fengcheng Annals · Products, citing the Song Dynasty’s Dagui Xiangfu-era Fengcheng Map Classic, also states: “The villages east of the river produce much sugarcane.”

Fengcheng is situated in the fertile, well-watered, and sunny Gan-Fu Plain region along the lower reaches of the Gan River, making it highly suitable for sugarcane cultivation. Townships such as Xiaogang, Yuandu, Tuochuan, Hezhou, Taosha, Qiudong, Xiaotang, Sundu, and Helu have historically been major production areas. Among them, Xiaogang boasts the highest yield, ranking first. Located on the eastern plain along the Gan River, the town’s sugarcane cultivation began in the Tang and Song dynasties and flourished to this day. Sugarcane production has developed continuously, spreading across every village and household in the town. The output has risen steadily year by year. In 1985, the total yield reached 34.4362 million jin, a 109.7-fold increase from 1965, accounting for 51% of the county’s total output of 67.5077 million jin. By 2000, the city’s total output reached 85,211 tons, with Xiaogang achieving the highest per-mu yield of 9,280 jin, totaling 38,000 tons—nearly 40% of the city’s total output. The peak year was 1996, when it accounted for over 56%.

There are mainly two types of sugarcane varieties: the first is sweet sugarcane, commonly known as “fruit sugarcane,” a traditional local product of Fengcheng and the most widely grown variety in the region. It features thick stalks, long canes, thin green skin, high juice content, and a sweet taste, primarily used for quenching thirst. The second is sugar sugarcane, introduced from other regions in 1958—varieties such as Fuzhou sugarcane, Guangdong sugarcane, and Taiwan red-skinned sugarcane were promoted and cultivated. These yield highly, with long canes but smaller stalks, tough skin, juicy content, and sweet cane juice, mainly used for sugar production. Fengcheng sugarcane enjoys fame both within and beyond the province and is sold in cities and autonomous regions including Nanchang, Nanjing, Shanghai, Fujian, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Guangxi, and Guangdong.

During the sugarcane harvest season, piles resembling “sugar cane mountains” line the fields along the Changsha-Ganzhou Highway, with vehicles coming from all over the country stopping by to purchase. Throughout Fengcheng’s urban and rural markets, sugarcane vendors are found everywhere. At bus stops, train stations, river ports, and ferry crossings—all key transportation hubs—farmers can be seen carrying or hand-holding sugarcane, hawking it along the roadside. From cities like Xinyu, Yichun, and Pingxiang down to Nanchang and Jiujiang, sugarcane from Fengcheng is sold in streets and alleys across the board.