A neighbourly act in KwaZulu-Natal could change the face of the sugar cane industry in South Africa. Established commercial farmers in the province have started an extensive mentorship programme to develop subsistence farmers into viable cane growers.
Heinz Wittig, a third-generation cane farmer, is spearheading the programme in Gqugquma near Pietermaritzburg. It was started as a pilot project among eight families sharing a small piece of land neighbouring Wittig’s farm.
The families approached Wittig, chairperson of the Noodsberg Cane Growers’ Association, about two years ago and asked him to help them turn their patches of land, ranging from one to eight hectares, into productive sugar cane plots.
In the spirit of “creating good neighbourliness” and as a contribution to his association’s objective of creating a climate in which small-scale farmers can grow, Wittig used his own capital and equipment, and provided the necessary skills, to help the families produce cane.
Two years later, after paying off their seed capital and settling other debts, the group shared a profit of R25 000. They had produced 110 tons of sugar cane.
The modest profit made a considerable difference in their lives. “I was so overjoyed when I received my share,” said 68-year-old Hlohlokwane Masango, whose 1,8ha yielded a profit of R6 000.
“Everybody is happy with the way things have turned out. Though the profit may not be earth-shattering, the project itself has opened our eyes. We see this as just the beginning of better things in the years to come,” said Masango, who used to grow maize on his land to feed his family.
“I hope our children have learned something from this experience.”
The mentorship concept proved so successful that it has led to a much larger project involving 53 small-scale farmers in the neighbouring Swayimani-Gqumisa area, once the scene of bitter fighting at the height of political violence in the mid-1990s.
The violence led to a steep decline in sugar cane production in the area.
Most of the farmers involved in the Swayimani-Gqumisa project are women. They have agreed to establish a cooperative to maximise their potential and use their collective muscle to negotiate better deals and exploit the advantages of their combined buying power.
Wittig is optimistic about the project’s prospects. He says the area has excellent soil and good rainfall. The 53 unit, 180ha plot — about the size of an average commercial farm — could generate a profit of between R350 000 and R400 000 from its first harvest.
Members of the cooperative have drawn up a constitution and established a steering committee. Two seats on the committee have been reserved for commercial farmers, who are expected to share their expertise and offer guidance when necessary.
The committee has also been tasked with raising the necessary finance and setting up bookkeeping systems to ensure financial discipline and transparency. Costs will be kept as low as possible to ensure the sustainability of the project.
“Implementation will become the most crucial part of the programme,” says Wittig.
“Commercial farmers will make equipment available and many are going to be involved on a day-to-day basis to keep it going, offering advice and deploying extension officers where needed.”
Wittig says he is encouraged by the spirit, commitment and enthusiasm of the cooperative’s members, which bodes well for the project.
He says the mentorship programme will be deemed a success once the members of the cooperative are able to stand on their own feet, possess their own equipment and make their own decisions.
Coupled with a joint venture between the South African Sugar Association (Sasa) and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, which delivers effective extension services to small-scale growers, mentorship is seen as one of the most important drivers of economic development in the sugar industry.
Sasa’s vice-chairperson, Rodger Stewart, estimates that the 45 000 small-scale growers in KwaZulu-Natal and their counterparts around the country will earn about R600-million in gross revenue this season.
The sugar industry employs more than 350 000 people in South Africa, directly and indirectly.
The programme is in line with the South African Cane Growers’ Association’s plan to create an enabling environment for previously disadvantaged, small-scale sugar cane farmers to break into the mainstream of the R5-billion-a-year industry.
“Mentorship is a very effective and inexpensive way of transferring knowledge, expertise and experience to emerging, previously disadvantaged cane growers,” says Wittig.
He says mentorship alone does not redress the enormous economic imbalances created by past policies, but it is a key method of creating sustainable economic development.