Analysis of the Factors Affecting Field Waste from Sugarcane Harvesting

The aim of this study was to investigate the amount of sugarcane losses during harvesting at the Imam Khomeini Sugarcane Agro-Industrial Company located in the Shoaibiyeh region.  Analytical hierarchy process was used to prioritize the factors affecting the level of losses. The statistical results obtained from measuring the losses showed a direct relationship between the age of the farm and the amount of sugarcane losses during harvesting. This relationship was examined with an accuracy of one percent. Additionally, using the recorded information, four effective criteria along with 23 sub-criteria were considered. Questionnaires based on pairwise comparisons were prepared and completed by agriculture and industry officials to determine the weights of the criteria and sub-criteria. Based on the obtained weights of the criteria, the lack of skilled and expert human resources (operator skills) (0.426), improper farm management (0.368), improper crop harvesting management (0.229), and the lack of adjustment of harvesting machines and improper technical management (0.076) were ranked in order. Improper control and management of the sugarcane transportation basket (0.194), insufficient training for operators (0.176), and the lack of placement of the product (plant deployment) on the cultivation surface (0.148) were the three most important sub-criteria based on their highest weights. After calculating the amount of sugarcane losses, the revenue obtained from the losses was estimated. This was calculated for all the farms studied in this research, and the economic results showed that the average income obtained from sugarcane losses was equivalent to 123.70 $ ha-1.