Cane growers

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Mlevy? – Is Eswatini Sugar’s gold proverb about to be changed by the soon-to-be-announced national water

Sugar cane growers feel threatened by the pending national water levy being piloted by the government as per the Water Act of 2003.

Some smallholder farmers have voiced their unhappiness with government’s timing to implement the national water levy.

The farmers claim the national water levy will harm their profitability as expenses will increase and hit them hard in as far as making any profit.

They further decried the slowness of government as a result of ignoring the national water levy for years, stating that a lot had changed since then.

The farmers disclosed that earnings would continue to be impacted negatively as other input costs such as fertiliser; electricity, cane haulage and transport had escalated.

The farmers disclosed to Eswatini News that their main discomfort with the national water levy was that it was being implemented when growers were bleeding from such escalations in prices.

Meanwhile, the farmers further noted their concern about the whole exercise. further

Worried

The farmers said they were worried that such an exercise was not driven by the industry or in collaboration with the Eswatini Sugar Association (ESA).

The farmers said they are worried when they see the Department of Water Affairs, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy (MNRE), and the Joint River Basins Authority (JRBA) driving the initiative.

The farmers disclosed that they had been working well with the ESA and they were not expecting this levy to be piloted without the key industry player ESA.

They claimed piloting of any water charges should have involved the industry player, the ESA.

They said water is a natural re