SA Canegrowers is throwing its weight behind small-scale growers wanting to diversify their sugarcane crop and develop agri-businesses aimed at improved rural food security, resilience in the face of the climate crisis and economic growth in deep rural areas of the country.
In Umbumbulu’s spaza shops bags of sugar beans are flying off the shelves as small-scale sugarcane growers in Southern KwaZulu-Natal set about varying their farming operations. The women, better known as the Ingedi Agri-Ladies say by 2030 their aim is to have established an agriculture distribution outlet, hundreds of hectares under sugarcane and vegetables and have well established themselves as commercial farmers.
There is an adage which says if more women are welcomed into a workforce the more an economy grows. If the five women who make up this new partnership are anything to go by, come 2030 they will not only be contributing to the economy of their region in a significant way but setting an example for others to follow.
As long ago as 2018, SA Canegrowers began urging all its members to start diversifying their sugarcane crop. The industry was under pressure coming out of a record drought in 2015 and 2016, the South African government had introduced a sugar tax on fizzy drinks in a bid to reduce incidences of obesity in the country. In 2017 the European Union had lifted its sugar beet quotas which meant sugar imports into the single market from the global south would decline significantly. And a growing anti-sugar sentiment by consumers linked to dietary health was undoubtedly impacting both global and domestic sugar sales. Also, from a soil management perspective it was becoming more and more apparent that inter-cropping was crucial for improved harvests.
And while there were significant challenges facing the women, Finance Manager, Ntokozo Mkhize said they weren’t deterred. “Our biggest challenge is land. If we ask about a a piece of land, then the owners want to sell it to us at a very high price. In the end we got permission to use 0.4ha of land from the region’s Mill Cane Committee and we can use that for as long as we like. We are waiting to hear about a further 1ha alongside the local community hall,” she said.
In February the ladies planted up the 0,4ha to sugar beans and in the last month harvested 175kgs. The land preparation, seed fertiliser and irrigation equipment were supplied from a R100 000 fund from SA Canegrowers under the auspices of the Vukani Ladies’ Secondary Co-operative which is supported by the organisation. Further, the women acquired a scale and packing equipment. Once the beans were ready, they were hand harvested and packaged. The 2kg and 5kg bags have been sold to neighbours and put into the region’s spaza shops. By all accounts the produce is in serious demand.
The ladies plan to plant a crop of butternut squash in the spring. “We have big plans,” Mkhize said. “We want to build an agriculture distribution centre where the local people can come and buy fertiliser and other farm supplies. This is a very remote area and towns and cities where supplies are available are far away. We want more women to join us. We are looking for more land as our aim is to become commercial vegetable producers,” she said.
SA Canegrowers CEO, Dr Thomas Funke said the success of the sugar bean harvest was a small step in an important journey towards improved regional food security, resilience in the face of the climate crisis and providing access to the economy for rural women. “Women play such a vital role in our rural economies. Our industry has about 19 000 small-scale growers who contribute significantly to the South African sugarcane crop. A large percentage of these growers are women and we believe they hold the key to the sustainable development of our industry and the rural regions where they live.”
Funke said the growth of women-led agri-businesses would not only contribute to providing employment opportunities in deep rural areas where jobs were scarce, but as leaders in their communities that could influence others to develop prosperous and income generating projects that could significantly contribute to economic growth in the country.
