AWD transformed rice—now let’s sweeten sugarcane. Thailand’s 1.5M hectares of cane face droughts, but smart irrigation can hike sugar content 10-15%, turning average 10% Brix to premium 11.5%—extra 500 THB/ton at mill gates. KhawTech’s Irrigation-as-a-Service (IaaS): LoRa sensors + edge-AI time water cutoffs precisely, monitored via NaLog. No capex for farmers; co-ops subscribe, we install/maintain. Proven in Yasothon trials: Higher yields, better revenue. From rice to cane, we’re multi-crop ready. Let’s break down timing, tech, economics, and why IaaS scales for Isan.
Sugarcane’s Water Sweet Spot: Timing Is Everything
Cane’s not like rice—it’s a 12-18 month cycle, thirsty but picky. Over-water late? Dilutes sugars. Under? Stunts growth. Key phases:
- Vegetative (0-8 mo): Heavy water for tillering—maintain 60-80% soil moisture.
- Maturity (9-12 mo): Cutoffs stress plants, boosting sucrose via ABA hormones. Optimal: 2-4 weeks dry at grand growth end.
- Harvest: Precise to avoid rot; AI predicts based on weather.
IRRI/FAO data: Smart cutoffs lift Brix 1-2 points, yield +5-10%. For Isan (sandy soils), that’s critical—droughts hit 20% production.
Our edge: Offline AI models from historicals + sensors. No guesswork— “Cutoff Day 320: Expected +0.8% sugar.”
Details in our sugarcane management services.
KhawTech’s IaaS: Sensors, AI, and Hands-Off Monitoring
Buy hardware? Nah—subscribe to smarts. Our model (pricing model extended):
- Hardware Bundle: 3-5 sensors/rai (soil moisture, stem temp, ET estimates)—rugged sensors, LoRa coverage 5km.
- Edge-AI Decisions: Gateway runs models: “Irrigate 20mm today” or “Cutoff 3 days.” SMS alerts, auto-pump triggers.
- NaLog Oversight: Co-op dashboard—per field trends, sugar forecasts, billing. Offline sync.
- Service Tier: 2,000 THB/rai/year—includes install, maint, data. Co-ops pay monthly, share pumps.
Yasothon pilot (20 rai, 2023): Sensors caught optimal cutoff window—Brix up 12%, 15% revenue jump. Farmer: “AI said wait—mill paid premium. No more dry surprises.”
Integration: ChirpStack LNS pipes data seamlessly. Carbon tie-in: Cane water savings also cut emissions.
Economics: Per-Ton Revenue, Co-Op Scale
Numbers sweeten the deal:
- Baseline: 60 tons/ha at 10% Brix = 6 tons sugar, 18k THB/ton mill price = 1.08M THB/ha.
- With IaaS: +1% Brix = 6.6 tons sugar; +5% yield = 63 tons/ha. Total: 1.26M THB/ha—180k gain.
- Per Ton: 500 THB extra from quality. For co-op (500 rai): 90M THB boost/year.
- Costs: IaaS 1M THB (2k/rai), payback 2 months. Margins: 70% for us, scalable to sugarcane belts.
Table for clarity:
| Metric | Without IaaS | With IaaS | Gain (THB/ha) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yield (tons/ha) | 60 | 63 | +180k revenue |
| Sugar % | 10% | 11% | +300k premium |
| Water Use | 1,500 mm | 1,200 mm (20% save) | +50k fuel |
| Total | 1.08M | 1.58M | +500k net |
Co-op model: Shared sub, group alerts. Ties to carbon credits: Extra credits from efficient water.
Challenges: Cane’s long cycle—solved with predictive AI. Future: Integrate mill APIs for real-time pricing.
Multi-Crop IaaS: From Rice to Cane and Beyond
Sugarcane’s our rice follow-on—same stack, crop-specific models. Aquaponics next. KhawTech’s proving: One platform, infinite fields.
Subscribe to Sweeter Harvests
Co-ops: [email protected] for IaaS pilot—free moisture map included. Innovating multi-crop ag for Thai farmers.
Alberto Roura, KhawTech Founder. Edge-AI specialist expanding AWD smarts to sugarcane riches—inspiring youth to diversify farms sustainably.