High energy costs render some farms unprofitable – minister Sugar industry will bounce back – ESA Acting CEO

MBABANE – Agriculture Minister Jabulani Mabuza is concerned about the high costs of energy in sugar cane farming.

“The high energy costs render some of the farms unprofitable since all sugar cane production is done under irrigation. The technical services department is facilitating the adoption of energy saving practices, which include the installation of solar energy in partnership with service providers and financiers. This is meant to ensure that growers are assisted with the installation of solar energy panels,” he said.

Mabuza said the government and sugar industry were working closely to ensure water security and to counter the climate change effects.

Drought

He noted that climate change came with erratic rainfall patterns such as extended drought periods and heavy rainfall.

The minister made these remarks during the Smallholder Sugarcane Growers (SSG) competition awards ceremony at Sihhoye last Friday.

“There is a high-level committee that is driving the initiative to build more dams through the regional biosecurity working group and engagement with other strategic partners. The ESA Technical Services continues to monitor the pest and disease levels found

MBABANE – The Eswatini Sugar Association (ESA) is confident that the sugar industry will recover and bounce back.

ESAActing Chief Executive Officer Banele Nyamane said the past year has not been without adverse effects on the sugar industry as a whole, the smallholder growers unexempted. He listed COVID-19 and natural disasters as the main reasons why sugar cane growers suffered immense losses.

“This resulted in the industry experiencing a significant 8.55 per cent reduction in sugar cane produced, and 10.3 per cent in the total sugar tonnage produced. This inevitably impacted the overall sales of sugar by 10.4 per cent and revenue generated by up to 5.6 per cent.”

He said these were the downsides of an agricultural business as some locally and beyond the borders, and makes recommendations to the sugar cane growers.”

Mabuza recognised the sugar industry as the second largest employer after government, adding that its contribution to the country’s socio-economic development was visible.

He listed the provision of healthcare, years were very good, and some not so good.

“We do, however, believe that the industry in its resilience will bounce back from this, through the continued efforts of all players.”

He implored the growers for their countless efforts and contributions to the industry, both as individuals and as a collective and pledged their continued technical support and encouraged them to prioritize issues of sustainability in order to ensure that their businesses remain viable.

Challenges

Nyamane said the world over was faced with economic challenges of monstrous proportions with the hikes in fuel prices and increases in prices of inputs have had a ripple effect on the value chain across all businesses.

“It is therefore humbling to witness our sponsors and partners remain committed to the cause of advancing

education, housing, water and sanitation, recreational facilities, rural development, poverty alleviation and environmental protection as some of the key inputs of the sugar industry to communities.

He noted that the industry contributed about six per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). the smallholder growers. It is also encouraging to see these very growers remaining resilient in business – which is an assurance of a future for the sugar industry.”

Nyamane was speaking during the Smallholder Sugarcane Growers Competition award ceremony that was held at Sihhoye on Friday, where 33 winners were awarded prizes including training sponsorship, laptops, and farming equipment.

He said smallholder growers formed an integral part of the sugar industry, contributing significantly to the overall sugar cane and subsequent sugar production in the country, hence the association took the seriously.

“We are committed to their upliftment and continuous growth, hence such an initiative as this competition in celebration of the hard work they invested,” he said.

ESA raised over E300 000 in sponsorship for this year’s competition.

The minister said challenges faced by the industry often led to performance decline and even complete exit.

“It is encouraging to note that the industry has initiated bulk facilities to help growers procure inputs at competitive prices as well as guarantee timely delivery,” he said.

Minister Mabuza said this also en

sured the correct specifications of inputs.

During the competition, about 33 growers were awarded prizes including laptops, bags of urea, trophies, industrial brush cutter, sunhats and cash prizes of up to E28 000 per winner.

When the competition started in 1994, only thirteen sugar cane growers participated. This year, there were 442 with 167 growers on Swazi Nation Land (SNL) and the rest are on title deed land (TDL).

Some of the speakers at the event included Hhohho Regional Administrator Princess Tsandzile, Royal Eswatini Sugar Corporation General Manager Operations Patrick Myeni, ESA’s acting Chief Executive Officer Banele Nyamane and Eswatini Cane Growers Association (ECGA’s) CEO Dr Sipho Nkambule.