STEADILY INCREASING SUGAR INDUSTRY IN CHINA SUGAR INDUSTRY SUPPORTED BY RICH HARVEST OF RAW MATERIALS CROPS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 15
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 13, 2003
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: June 1, 1966
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
Sugar Industry Supported by
Rich Harvest of Raw Materials Crops
Sugar manufacturing in China is a seasonal industry
starting around October, the harvest season for sugar cane
and sugar beets, and lasting until March or April of the fol-
lowing year. The 1965-1966 sugar manufacturing season is
roughly over by now. Due to the unprecedented rich harvest
of sugar raw material crops last year, the national sugar
output showed a 20,E increase over that of the previous year,
which had been the highest in China's history. As a result
of this phenomenal increase in sugar production over two
consecutive years, the supply of sugar on the Chinese market
is fairly plentiful.
Prior to the liberation, the sugar industr in China
reached its highest output in history in 1936--41,000 tons--
which due to war damages decreased to 199,000 tons in the
year of the establishment of the New China. Rapid restora-
tion and progress since then brought the output to 1.13 mil-
lion tons by 1959. However, the natural calamities over three
consecutive years from 1959 have severely damaged the sugar
raw material crop and have drastically reduced the sugar out-
put. The cultivated acreage for sugar cane and sugar beets
in 1949 was 124,130 ha ~i], which increased to 425930 ha
by 1957. Furthermore, in 1958 there was an increase in acre-
age of 66,600 ha for sugar cane and of 146,600 ha for sugar
beets. Due to the continued natural calamities from 1959,
a portion of this acreage has been converted to food production
Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
 Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
thus further decreasing the harvest of sugar raw material
crops.
Against this background it should be readily under-
standable that many sugar manufacturing plants have been
constructed since the establishment of the New China, some
of which have been closed down since then due to the shortage
of raw material supply. Since then, however, in line with
the recovery of agricultural production the production of
sugar raw materials has increased and consequently the sugar
output has also increased. (As for the sugar manufacturing
industry in China for the year of 1964, refer to No 21, 1
June 1964 of this periodical).
Unprecedented Increase in Production in the
1964-1965 Sugar Manufacturing Season
In such major sugar cane-producing areas in China as
the provinces of Kwangtung, Kwangsi, Szechwan, Fukien and
Yunnan, in 1964 there was a 50;11 increase in sugar cane acre-
age over the previous year and also a 20~ increase for peren-
nial sugar cane. (The harvest quantity for perennial sugar
cane per unit area is 20-30~ higher than the newly cultivated
ones.)
In major northern sites of sugar beet production such
as the provinces of Heilungkiang, Kirin, and Inner Mongolia,
the planted acreage showed a 50~ increase over last year,
and the crop per unit area also showed a drastic increase.
Prior to the liberation, the cultivation of sugar beets was
largely limited to Heilungkiang Province. At present, how-
ever, they are widely cultivated in such provinces as Kirin,
Inner Mongolia, Sinkiang, and Shansi. The province of Hei-
lungkiang, ranking the highest in cultivated acreage and out-
put of sugar beets, showed a considerable increase in sugar
beet harvest over 1964.
Although the actual planted acreage in 1964 for sugar
raw material crops was less than that for 1958, the implemen-
tation of collective farming and concentrated planting has
resulted in an increase of per unit area harvest and conse-
quently in a total output greater than ..1958. In order to
enable the processing of this rich harvest of raw materials
at the proper time, the government has made a sizeable in-
vestment and restored or constructed 30 or more large or me-
dium-sized sugar manufacturing plants, and has also expanded
the production capacity of existing plants. The net result
was that a total of more than one hundred sugar manufacturing
plants was put into operation. At the same time, through
further learning, training and effort, the workers at each
sugar manufacturing plant have made possible the production
of a greater amount of sugar from the same amount of raw ma-
terials.
Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
 Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
In this manner, the 1864-65 sugar manufacturing season
has witnessed the highest record in history as regards quan-
tity of manufacture in Chin. It was a 59i~ increase over the
previous season (the increase of white sugar was 66~), and a
20,x$ increase over the 1958-59 season, which had been the high-
est up to the present time. In other words, a 20,E increase
over the 1959 harvest of 1.13 million tons would be 1.356 mil-
lion tons.
Not only has the production quantity of sugar increased;
the quality and grade have also improved accordingly. Along
with the improvement of manufacturing techniques at each plant,
there was a reduction in raw material consumption and produc-
tion costs. Not only has each plant tried for the increased
production of white sugar, but several large sugar manufactur-
ing plants have also promoted the production and consumption
of a variety of products such as refined sugar, disk sugar,
and granule sugar.
Further Increase in the 1965-66 Season
The planted acreage for sugar raw material crops has
further increased in 1965, reaching the highest point in sev-
eral years. T]h~e province of Kwangtung, a mayor sugar cane-
producing area, has exceeded its share of the national plan
by 23,000 ha, and other provinces such as Szechwan and Kwang-
tung ~ic7 have also exceeded their goals of planted acreage.
In general, the acreage alloted for perennial sugar cane has
expanded, and the proportion of perennial sugar cane is ap-
proximately two-thirds of the planted acreage in such prov-
inces as Kwangtung, Fukien, and Szechwan.
The planting of sugar beets has also exceeded its goal,
and the planted acreage has shown an increase over the pre-
vious year in such provinces and regions as Heilungkiang, Ki-
rin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, and Sinkiang. Through a ra-
tional allocation of planting frequencies, the province of
Heilungkiang, producing the largest amount of sugar beets,
has increased its planted acreage above the target by 20,000
ha.
Through the demonstration of a strong desire for pro-
duction and adoption of better forms and collective farming,
the farmers were able to increase the crops' per unit acre-
age. Despite the typhoon in Kwangtung province and flood and
drought in other areas, the majority of farmers continued to
fight natural calamities and exhibited the spirit of self-suf-
ficiency, and finally achieved an increased production of sug-
ar raw material crops.
In this manner, the 1965 harvest of sugar cane and sug-
ar beets marked an unprecedented crop in history well above
last year's harvest, which itself was a rich harvest. In or-
der to solve the resulting dilemma of the oversupply of sugar
Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
 Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
raw materials and insufficient processing capacity, a group
of mechanized sugar manufacturing plants have been construc-
ted and put into operation in each sugar manufacturing dis-
trict. Mechanical sugar manufacturing plants--either those
newly constructed or those expanded in the 1965-66 sugar man-
ufacturing period--numbered twenty-three, and the time re-
quired for their construction was shortened to half of that
of the previous year. The commencement of operations at an
opportune time increased the processing capacity of the Chi-
nese sugar manufacturing industry by almost 3Oy~. At the
same time, the industry has produced and provided provinces,
people's communes, and production units with more than one
thousand "simplified sugar press units." Furthermore, by
installing small semi-mechanized sugar presses in the remote
border areas where transportation is inconvenient, the pro-
cessing of rich sugar raw materials at the proper time was
made possible.
In response to the rich harvest of sugar raw material
crops, the workers in the field of the sugar manufacturing
industry have promoted the movement of technical innovation..
and technical revolution.; as a result they have improved the
manufacturing process and various facilities and have fully
utilized the potential of existing facilities. The proces-
sing capacity of existing old plants as a whole has been in-
creased, and the total recovery rate of sugar has also mark-
edly improved. The increase in sugar production was realized
without increased government investment in raw materials, fa-
cilities, or manpower.
The total sugar output in China near the end of the
1965-66 sugar manufacturing period was 20,E above that of the
preceeding period, which itself was an unprecedented high.
Since the 195 Lsi~-65 harvest was 1.356 million tons, the
20,E increase would be 1.627 million tons. At the same time,
the quality of the sugar has improved considerably. The sug-
ar supplied to rural communities is not only of improved
quality; the number of varieties of sugar has also been in-
creased.
The Kwangtung Sugar Manufacturing
Industry Produces Half of the
Total National Output
There are more than one hundred sugar manufacturing-
plants of varying size in the province of Kwangtung, which
comprises one half of the planted acreage of sugar cane and
produces about one half of the total national sugar output.
There are seven large State-operated plants--the Chiang-men.
Sugar Cane Chemical Industry Plant (daily pressing capacity
of 3,500 tons), Chung-shah, Shun-te, Nan-hai, Shih-t'ou, Tzu-
ni, and Tung-wan--and other large sugar manufacturing plants
- 13 -
Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
 Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
such as the Hua-ch'iao Sugar Plant in Canton (daily pressing
capacity of 2,500 tons) and the Chieh-yang Sugar Plant. Fur-
thermore, fifteen small-scale sugar manufacturing plants with
daily pressing capacities of 500 tons have been constructed
or expanded in several sugar cane-producing areas. The new-
ly constructed plants are at Jao-ping, Pai-chiao, Feng-shun,
Teng-hai, Chao-an, Po-lo, T'ai-shan, Kao-yao, Sui-hsi, and
Pai-sha. With the completion of these construction and ex-
pansion projects, there will be a 6,100-ton. increase in the
daily pressing capacity. Since there was a 5,000-ton increase
last year, the increase for these two years would be 11,000
tons. All the facilities at the new plants have been design-
ed and manufactured by Chinese and in China. Prior to the
construction of sugar manufacturing plants it was necessary
in some areas to use animal power to press sugar cane, pro-
ducing the. crudest form of sugar--needless to say, this meth-
od was not very efficient and waste of raw materials resulted.
In some other areas, it was necessary to transport the har-
vested sugar cane to a plant 100 km away, thus eventually
raising the production cost of sugar. Construction of these
plants means not only the solution of such problems, but also
provides for mass-production of good quality sugar and pro-
gress in sugar cane production.
The record production of the province of Kwangtung in
the 1964-65 sugar manufacturing season--more than 100,000
tons in excess of last year's output--was accompanied by com-
mendable qualitative improvement and also an increase in the
proportion of white (refined) sugar. The product ratio of
white sugar and brown sugar in the fourth quarter of 1964 at
the seven provincial plants such as Shun-te, Chung-shan, and
also at the Hua-ch'iao Sugar Plant in Canton, producing one
third of the total sugar output of the province, was 97~ a-
gainst 3;b in comparison to the ratio of 27~ against 28~ for
the preceding year. All of the sugar manufacturing plants
relying on the carbonic acid method such as the Chiang-men
Sugar Cane Chemical Industry Plant and the Hua-ch'iao Sugar
Plant in Canton started producing white sugar exclusively
from 1965. In addition, the plants relying on the sulfuric
acid method at Tzu-ni, Shun-te, Tung-wan, Chung-shan, and Nan-
hai have all started producing white sugar only. This marks
a new page in the history of sugar manufacturing in Kwang-
tung province in that the conventional belief that white sug-
ar could not be produced by the sulfuric acid method was dis-
proved.
In the field of technology, the sugar industry in the
province of Kwangtung has marked several records. For in-
stance, the Shih-t'ou Sugar Plant has set a national record
by raising the average recovery rate to 97.28 at one month
after the start of cane pressing.
- 14 -
Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
 Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
Qualitative and Quantitative Improvements in the
Kwangtung Sugar Manufacturing Industry
The 1965-66 sugar manufacturing season saw remarkable
progress made with respect to sugar output, quality, and va-
riety. The proportion of white sugar increased, resulting
in a relative decrease in raw sugar. Moreover, new products
such as refined confectioner's sugar for medicine, condensed
milk, high-class candy, and cotton white sugar have been in-
troduced and supplied to both domestic and foreign markets.
In many of the plants that were capable of producing only the
brown sugar and second-class white sugar, the production of
first-class white sugar has become a reality through the con-
tinued efforts of workers to design better facilities and im-
prove product quality.
Through active participation in the movement of tech-
nological innovation and revolution, the workers at various
sugar manufacturing plants have put into operation such new
devices as the vacuum automatic control for sugar boilers,
the vacuum filter, and the continuous separator. By adopting
the advanced neutralization pipe techniques, the sixteen me-
dium-size sugar manufacturing plants in the province of Kwang-
tung have reduced the labor load and increased their produc-
tivity.
Besides, at the more than 6,000 raw sugar processing
sites in the province of Kwangtung historical records have
been set in regard to processing time, recovery rate of first
class sugar, increased efficiency, and decreased cost. In
comparison to the same amount of pressing quantity in the
previous period, the production of raw sugar increased by
31,000 tons. The increase for first-class sugar was 3,000
tons, and there was a great reduction in processing cost.
The products produced in the present season at 300 to X00
raw sugar processing sites throughout the province are all of
first-class quality.
The Rapidly Developing Kwangsi Sugar Base
The Kwangsi Autonomous District in 196+ increased the
planted acreage over the previous year by 30~, which is twice
the 1949 acreage. There has been. a further increase in 1965..
The quantity of mechanized sugar manufacture in the 196+-65
season in the province of Kwangsi increased from the 199 dai-
ly output of 20 to 30 tons to several thousand tons, and the
number of manufacturing plants has increased from two to
twelve. Compared to the preceding season, the total output
in this season has shown an increase of more than 50,000 tons,
and there has also been accompanied improvement in quality.
The white sugar from each plant has met national standards.
- 15 -
Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
 Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
The white sugar produced by the Kuei Hsien and Ling-li plants
has not only met first and se~bnd class standards, but also
a part of it satisfied class A standards. The plants newly
opened this season at Chun-chai and Feng-shah manufactured
products meeting first class standards. Through technologi-
cal innovation and intensification of technical supervision,
the workers at the Tien-yang and Liu-ch'eng sugar plants
continued to increase the processed quantity. Compared to
the preceding season, there was a decrease in the production
cost at each plant.
The total output of mechanized sugar manufacturing in
the 1865-66 sugar season was considerably greater than last
year. The quality of white sugar reached a higher level, with
the large-scale sugar manufacturing plants producing the class
A sugar and the medium and small scale plants, the first class
sugar. Even some of the new plants were able to produce first
class sugar.
In the 1965-66 sugar manufacturing season, six plants
have been newly constructed and put into operation. The su-
gar manufacturing plant with a daily pressing capacity of 500
tons at the state-operated Hua-ch'iao farm at Wu-ming was also
put into operation this season. At one of the old sugar plants
in Kuei Hsien, the production of class A sugar in this season
showed an 80~ increase. The Nanning sugar manufacturing plant
constructed in the second half of last year produced white
sugar in the first cane-pressing period, half of which was
class A sugar. The sugar manufacturing facilities with daily
pressing capacity of 500 tons at the Wu-thou Sugar Manufac-
turing Plant were all designed, manufactured, and installed
by the plant employees, and its operating this season has
boosted considerably the output of white sugar at the plant.
This plant is one of the two existing from the days prior to
the liberation. Originally, the pressing capacity was merely
30 tons per day, which increased to 200 tons per day by 1959?
In the last several years the province of Kwangsi has in this
manner become a newly rising sugar base in China.
Continued Increase Over Four Consecutive
Years in the Province of Fukien
By producing over 169,000 tons of sugar in the 1964-
65 sugar manufacturing season, the province of Fukien has
doubled last year's output. For the fourth consecutive year,
the sugar manufacturing season has shown a 20~ increase of
sugar output over that of the preceding season. The size and
magnitude of product quality improvement, reductions in cost
and raw material consumption,~and the increase in labor pro-
ductivity in the present season have been unprecedented since
the liberation.
- 16 -
Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
 Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
Of the eight mechanized sugar manufacturing plants
that were underdeveloped in technical standards and production
in the preceding season, six plants have achieved the level
of advanced or relatively advanced enterprises, and others
have improved upon their backward setup. The Hsien-yu sugar
manufacturing plant, with less than satisfactory facilities
up to the present, has now renovated 17 mayor facilities, in-
creased the daily pressing capacity by more than 60~, and ex-
panded the extent of production mechanization. The smallest
mechanized sugar manufacturing plant at Ch'uan-thou has final-
ly reached the level of large-scale plants through continuus
efforts in regard to product quality, safety, production rate,
and processing time.
Notable achievements have been made at each sugar manu-
facturing plant with regard to technological innovation and._-`
revolution. The number of major technological innovations
materialized in the present season at the ten plants is over
200. The workers at the large, mechanized Chang-thou Sugar
Manufacturing Plant have improved on many manufacturing pro-
cesses. The creation of the "clear" manufacturing process
alone enabled sugar production increase of over 1,000 tons
and the saving of several thousand tons of fuel and the labor
of many workers. The class A white sugar comprises more than
90~ of the total output. The workers at the Fu-Ch'ing Sugar
Manufacturing Plant--a small, mechanized plant--continued
their technological innovations, manufactured and installed
by themselves many plant facilities, and noticeably increased
both the production quality and quantity.
Increase of Sugar Manufacturing
Capacity in Other Provinces
The total sugar output of the province of Yunnan in
the 1g6~+-65 sugar manufacturing season showed a 40,6 increase
over the preceding season, within which the class A sugar and
first-class sugar each showed 12~ increases. Since then, 22
medium and small scale sugar manufacturing plants have been
constructed, increasing output capacity by 50;x. The newly
constructed plants are located in such sugar cane-producing
areas as Mi-lo, Ho-Ch'ing, Pao-shan, and Hung=ho. In Mi-lo
Hsien. of the Hung-ho Ha-ni and Yi Autonomous Chou where a
large quantity of sugar cane is produced more than one hun-
dred trucks had to be used to transport the cane to the K'ai-
yuan Sugar Manufacturing Plant over a period of three to four
months. The construction of a mechanized sugar manufacturing
plant with a daily pressing capacity of 500 tons at Mi-lo
eliminated this transportation problem. In Lu-hsi Hsien of
the Te-Hung Thai and Ching-po Autonomous Chou, a medium-scale
mechanized sugar manufacturing plant has been constructed and
- 17 -
Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
 Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
has contributed to the increased production of sugar cane.
In the 1964-65 sugar manufacturing season Szechwan
Province has also shown a /+2,800-ton increase over the pre-
vious season.
Through the operation of a modern sugar manufacturing
plant at Shih-ho-tzu from 1959, the Sinkiang Uighur Autonomous
Region produced twice as much sugar in the 1964-65 season as
in the season before. In view of the special needs of the
area's national minorities such as the Uighurs and the Kazakhs,
improvements have been made on the existing facilities in
1964 and the output of lump sugar was tripled in 1964-65. The
total output of last year from this plant alone was sufficient
to provide an average of 2.5 kg to each person in the Sinkiang
Uighur Autonomous Region. In this manner, with respect to
sugar, Sinkiang has become completely self-sufficient.
Thus, the sugar manufacturing industry in China has
entered a new phase of phenomenal progress. Although the
sugar raw materials have suffered from natural calamities,
increased output has been obtained. Mechanized facilities
have been qualitatively improved through technological inno-
vations and single-handed production of processers with daily
pressing capacities of 500-1,000 tons. Raw material crops
have been improved and the harvest per unit area has increased.
Also, the sugar content has increased. Increases in sugar
cane and sugar beet acreage and the consequent increase in
the raw materials output are bound to boost sugar output. It
appears safe to conclude that this remarkable rate of progress
Photo Captions STAT'
Photo 1: Sugar cane being transported on special line to
sugar manufacturing plant (Chien-hua Brigade, Lung-
hua People's Commune, Hsien-yu Hsien, Fukien Provin-
ce). The Chien-hua Brigade is nationally known
~~`av -~ ~ ~ ~~ 5/itV + t/.3 ~~ ~ ~ ~ STAT
Photo 2: arehouse at the Shun-te Su .. u ~Z'~u~int
in Kwangtung Province constructed in 1935. Since
1958 additions have been made for paper manufacture,
brewing, and Furfural manufacture; thus the plant
has become a general manufacturing plant. The
annual output for 1863 was more than 20,000 tons.
,~. ~ --~~' ~' ~~ o -~ mac'
Photo 3: Sugar manufacturing plant at Huhehot in Inner Mon-
golia--a newly developing sugar beet producing area.
The rich 1965 harvest of sugar beets is being rush-
ed to the plant . , , ~ ,, ~/ x~
STAT
Approved For Release 2003/1,2/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
 ILLEGIB
. Approved For Release 2003/12/19 :CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
~~ ILLEGIB
C'/,~ /C~~ /~~./
ILLEGIB
Approved For Release 2003/12/19 :CIA-RDP78-04546A003200 20014-2
 Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
CHINA SHUN-TE 22 51 N 113 15 E
Warehouse at the sugar manufacturing plt. Prior to 1966.
Official Use Only (24,25) CIA 1149043
Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
 Approved For Release 2003/12/19 :CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2 ~ ? ' ILLEGIB
i
^
a
^
^
^
^
^
ILLEGIB
ILLEGIB
i
Approved For Release 2003/12/19 :CIA-RDP78-04546A00320002
 Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-0~546AU03200020014-2
CHINA
HSIEN-YU HSIEN 25 22 N
118
42 E
Sugar cane eing tra
o sugar plt by
the
Chien-hua
Brigade
Prior to 1966.
.
Official Use Onl
(1,24,25)
CIA 1149044
Approved For Release 2003/12/19: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
 ~ ~ .
. Approved For Release 2003/12/19 :CIA-RDP7g 04546A003200020014-2
ILLEGIB
ILLEGIB
ILLEGIB
Approved For Release 2003/12/19 :CIA-RDP78-04546A00320002Q014-2
 ILLEGIB gpproved For Release 2003/12/19 :CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2
Next 7 Page(s) In Document Exempt
Approved For Release 2003/12/19 :CIA-RDP78-04546A003200020014-2