A plan to improve cane supply quality and build resilience in rural economies dependent on the sugar industry has paid off as small-scale growers reap the rewards from the sector’s certified seedcane planting programme.
As SA Canegrowers marks four years since the start of its multi-million-rand seedcane development programme, the benefits of the venture are starting to accrue among its beneficiaries.
In 2020, Amatikulu small-scale growers, Zanele Ngema and her sister, Hlengiwe became co-operators in the SA Canegrowers’ small-scale grower seedcane development programme.
This meant the women leased a hectare of fallow land to the organisation for two years for the purpose of planting and growing certified seedcane.
After 12 months the harvested seedcane was then sold to neighbouring small-scale growers at a discounted price and the proceeds paid to the Ngema sisters once ratoon costs were paid.
The aim of the programme was to provide affordable, high-quality seed for new varietals to as many rural small-scale growers as possible. This would improve the quality of the cane delivered to the mills and boost the returns for small-scale growers. The hope was that the plan would also help to stabilise rural economies dependent on sugarcane production for their income.
Today, four years on, and the Ngema sisters are about to move into their newly built three-bedroomed house which, they say, was made possible in part by the proceeds of the seedcane development programme and the income they have received as a direct result of the improved quality of their crop.
Best practice
In the spring of 2020, 16ha of certified seed were planted on smallholder plots across the sugarcane growing regions of KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
The plots were managed by SA Canegrowers’ regional staff and used extensively in training programmes to teach best practice sugarcane production among small-scale growers in the different regions.
At the start of the programme SA Canegrowers partnered with Coca Cola’s Mintirho Foundation which put up the initial funding. The funds were used in the main for procuring the certified seed, best practice land preparation followed by the planting and ongoing maintenance over 12 months and the harvesting of the cane.
In 2021, the SA Canegrowers’ board extended the programme by earmarking a further R538 508 to secure the continuity of the venture.
Sam Khanyile – SA Canegrowers Agriculture Business Advisor at Amatikulu – said another important benefit was the acquisition of seed for new varieties of cane. “ In the instance of those in Amatikulu, N58 and N59 were planted which are ideally suited for dryland cane production in the region,” she said.
Industry-wide benefits
In 2021, the initial 16ha produced 1 256 tons of seedcane. This resulted in an added 104ha of land under sugarcane small-scale growers. In that same year a further 17ha was planted up. In 2022, the 16ha planted in 2020 was harvested for the second time and the 17ha produced 1 343 tons of high-quality seed. This added 112ha of area under cane. The plots were then handed back to the co-operators who had originally leased their land to SA Canegrowers for use during the programme. Sibusiso Sithole, who is the contractor overseeing the Ngema sisters’ harvesting and maintenance programme, said in the first year the plot of N58 and N59 varieties had yielded 88 tons of seed, in the second year 90 tons which was sold to neighbouring growers in the eMacambini area. “In 2023 unfortunately we had a fire and the cane was burnt before it was mature so we harvested about 70 tons. We will be harvesting again in the next couple of weeks. I am sure the harvest will be back to what it was,” he said
