Farm Management

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Key Stakeholders: Shareholders, Farmers, Customers and Consumers, Government and Civil Society Sector

As an agro-industrial company, Mitr Phol relies heavily on sugarcane as its primary raw material. Effective farm management is essential to securing a stable supply while supporting sustainable livelihoods for farmers. To support this, the Company developed the Mitr Phol ModernFarm Approach to promote modern farming practices that enhance productivity, reduce costs, and minimize social and environmental impacts. The approach improves access to knowledge, financing, improved sugarcane varieties, and technology, while supporting natural resource conservation and strengthening sustainable farm management capabilities.

2025 Target and Performance

Indicators	Target	Performance
Sustainably Certified Sugarcane Cultivation Area	Short-Term Goals: Achieve 160,000 hectares by 2024/25	In 2024/25, 160,080.96 hectares were achieved
Sustainably Certified Sugarcane Cultivation Area	Long-Term Goals: Achieve 176,000 hectares by 2030/31	In 2024/25, 160,080.96 hectares were achieved
Promotion of Sugarcane Cultivation under the Mitr Phol Modern Farm Approach	Achieve 117,280 hectares by 2024/25	In 2024/25, 112,231.2 hectares were achieved
Cumulative Irrigated Area in Promoted Sugarcane Plantations	Achieve 220,160 hectares by 2024/25	Achieved 100%

Management Approach

Committed to developing a sustainable sugarcane and sugar industry, Mitr Phol promotes farming practices based on the Mitr Phol ModernFarm approach, incorporating modern information technology and enhancing the knowledge and skills of its personnel and partner farmers through the Mitr Phol ModernFarm Academy. The Company also encourages sugarcane farmers to obtain international standards for sustainable sugarcane and sugar production processes, to ensure transparency and sustainability across every stage.

Mitr Phol ModernFarm

Guided by Mitr Phol Group's "Grow Together" principle, the Mitr Phol ModernFarm initiative was launched to promote sustainability for sugarcane farmers. It integrates environmentally friendly farm management practices with innovative technologies to help farmers increase yields, reduce costs, and improve their quality of life sustainably under the 4 Pillars Plus framework.

In the 2024/25 crop year, more than 112,000 hectares of sugarcane cultivation area were managed under the Mitr Phol Modern Farm Approach, supporting 31,500 contract farmer families and over 120,000 agricultural workers. The Company also provided mobile soil analysis services to more than 1,200 farmers to promote appropriate fertilizer application based on crop requirements. In addition, biological pest management practices were promoted through the release of natural enemies into sugarcane fields, helping reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides while maintaining beneficial soil microorganisms and supporting soil health.

Application of Innovative Technologies and Digital Solutions

Application of Soil Water Index (SWI) derived from satellite imagery technology: The Soil Water Index (SWI) is used to analyze soil moisture levels to support more efficient water management. Its application reduces the need for traditional ground-based soil moisture sensors, allowing farmers to manage water usage more precisely. This not only helps prevent over-irrigation but also contributes to improved sugarcane yields over time.
Promotion of Smart Farming with agricultural drones and helicopters:
The Company promotes Smart Farming management or Precision Agriculture by hiring contractors with agricultural drones and helicopters to survey sugarcane fields and spray pesticides and ripening chemicals, replacing traditional tractor-based methods. This approach helps reduce production costs, increase daily work capacity, and lower fuel consumption. In the 2024/25 crop year, agricultural drones and helicopters were applied across more than 12,480 hectares.
GPS Guidance System for Sugarcane Planting and Transportation: Mitr Phol applies GPS Guidance technology across large-scale sugarcane farming operations to improve precision and operational efficiency, from land preparation and planting to harvesting and transportation.
Application of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML): Mitr Phol has integrated AI/ML technologies and digital platforms into land management, crop health monitoring, yield forecasting, and harvest monitoring through the Farm Focus Project. By combining satellite imagery with geographic, environmental, and field data, the Company enhances sugarcane farm management and improves sugarcane productivity.
Developing a cane management information system (Cane MIS): The Cane MIS was developed to enhance the efficiency and transparency of sugarcane transactions between Mitr Phol and farmers. The system integrates geographic, contractual, financial, and other relevant data into a centralized platform, enabling more effective sugarcane management and decision-making.
Drip Fertigation: Drip fertigation involves the application of water-soluble fertilizers through on-farm irrigation systems. This method helps overcome the limitations of granular fertilizers, particularly in areas with insufficient rainfall or limited irrigation. By delivering nutrients directly to the root zone, drip fertigation can improve fertilizer use efficiency to 80-90%, promote uniform crop growth, and reduce nutrient losses from leaching.

Mitr Phol ModernFarm Academy

Sustainable Sugarcane and Sugar Production in Accordance with International Standards

Mitr Phol is committed to supporting farmers in adopting internationally recognized sustainable sugarcane production standards, including Bonsucro and the VIVE Sustainable Supply Programme. These certifications strengthen traceability throughout the value chain, meet evolving customer and consumer expectations, and support ESG performance across the supply chain. The Company has set a target to expand certified sustainable sugarcane cultivation under Bonsucro and the VIVE Sustainable Supply Programme to more than 176,000 hectares by 2030. As of the 2024/25 crop year, 49% of total sugarcane purchased has been certified.

Green Sugarcane Harvesting and Sugarcane Leaf Purchasing

Mitr Phol has continuously supported green cane harvesting by purchasing fresh-cut sugarcane leaves from farmers to convert into biomass electricity. The campaign aims to distribute income to local economic and support renewable energy through follow practices:

Promote the appropriate use of agricultural machinery to reduce reliance on manual labor.
Provide green cane harvesting services for farmers.
Support farmers’ access to low-interest government loans through loan guarantee programs.
Provide sugarcane leaf stripping services and purchase fresh sugarcane leaves for use as biomass fuel.
Promote green cane harvesting through communication campaigns and stakeholder engagement activities

As a result of these measures, the proportion of fresh sugarcane in Mitr Phol's total sugarcane crushed increased by 13 percentage points in the 2024/25 crop year compared with the 2023/24 crop year.

On-farm Water Management

Increasingly severe weather patterns caused by climate change, particularly the intensifying effects of El Niño and La Niña, pose a growing threat to sugarcane production and the livelihoods of those in the sugarcane industry. Mitr Phol has assessed water risks in supplier and farmer areas, and implemented an irrigation program aimed at ensuring a sufficient water supply for sugarcane production by promoting the development of on-farm water sources and supplemental irrigation to enhance yields.

Promoting the Development of On-farm Water Sources

Currently, the Company achieved its target for accumulated irrigated areas, reaching a total of 220,288 hectare, categorized by type of irrigation system as follows:

Collaboration with External Agencies

Promoting Supplemental Irrigation to Enhance Yields

Enhancing Irrigation Performance

Promoting on-farm drip irrigation systems: The Company encourages farmers to adopt drip irrigation, one of the most efficient water management methods for sugarcane cultivation. The system delivers water directly to the root zone, improving water use efficiency and currently covers 120,000 hectares of sugarcane plantations.
Installing solar-powered pumping systems: Solar panel systems have been installed across 29,568 hectares to provide clean energy for irrigation pumping, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
Developing groundwater wells and recharge ponds: The Company has developed 175 groundwater wells covering 1,120 hectares to enhance water availability, support groundwater recharge, and strengthen long-term water resource sustainability.

Deployment of Water Management Technologies

Internet of Things (IoT) and Geographic Information System (GIS): The Company utilizes IoT and GIS technologies to monitor soil moisture and field conditions, enabling precision irrigation and more efficient water use in sugarcane cultivation.

Collaborative irrigation projects with government agencies:

Mitr Phol collaborates with government agencies and farmers to support the development of irrigation projects in sugarcane-growing areas. The Company gathers farmers’ needs, facilitates stakeholder consultations, supports the establishment of water user groups, and coordinates the submission of project proposals through local administrative organizations. The proposals are subsequently reviewed by Provincial Water Resources Subcommittees and incorporated into national irrigation development plans. In 2025, the Company sought support for the following projects: