The South African government is committed to providing support required by the sugarcane growers given the critical role that they play in the sugar value chain. This was said by the Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Zuko Godlimpi. He was speaking at the sugarcane growers dialogue that he hosted in uMzinto, on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal today.
The purpose of the dialogue was to provide a platform for an engagement between national government and the sugarcane growers on the implementation of the Sugar Master Plan, as well as on the key challenges currently facing the industry, with a view to finding long-lasting solutions.
The farmers welcome the opportunity provided by national government for them to express matters that negatively impact their businesses directly with the deputy minister. Issues raised with Godlimpi by the growers included the forever rising costs of fertilisers, petrol and diesel, improvement of financial support, need to impose more import tariffs, unplanned fires and lack of tractors that they require to plough their lands and transport their products loading zones, hebicides, traditional leaders and subsidy for contractors
Numerous farmers lamented the strike that ended recently, saying it has severely impacted their businesses, and they would take a long time to recover. They informed Godlimpi that the strike resulted in significant amount of sugarcane getting spoilt and had to be discarded because it could no longer be delivered to the mills, resulting in long-term financial losses.
In his response, Godlimpi emphasised that the South African government was committed to supporting sugarcane growers due the critical role that the industry plays in creating jobs and alleviating poverty.
“We came here to listen to your challenges, to inform you about the opportunities available in government to assist sugarcane growers to grow their business, and to update you on what government has done to protect the sugar industry in the past three years,” he stated.
“As government we are committed to protecting this industry and assisting it to grow. We cannot afford to allow it to degenerate because the impact in small towns like uMzinto will be devastating, hence the tariffs which we have imposed on imported sugar,” said Godlimpi.
He added that government played an important role in finding a solution to the strike that the sugarcane growers reiterated that it had a negative impact on their businesses.
“We managed to negotiate with the workers and employers to end the strike. We apologise that growers were impacted negatively by the strike, but we are happy that at the end the workers and the employers managed to find each other. We would like to help growers that were affected to recover. We want to help you to increase your production and be in a position to create more job opportunities,” stressed Godlimpi.
He promised that government was ready to help everyone who is determined to farm by providing them with land, and arranging with commercial growers to support small scale farmers in order to enable them to grow and sustain their businesses.
Godlimpi said he would be convening meetings with various stakeholders to discuss the challenges raised by the sugarcane growers. Thereafter, he would convene another dialogue in which he will be reporting back to the growers with proposals and solutions that will be succeeded by practical plans and programmes for implementation.
“But first I will be hosting a workshop with you in which state and commercial banks, as well as the country’s development finance agencies will talk to you about how you can be assisted financially to grow your businesses,” he pledged.
Godlimpi also said he was impressed by the amount of information he gathered from the six sugarcane farms that he visited in the Sezela and Umzinto areas yesterday.
“Talking to those farmers and seeing exactly what they were talking about was really inspiring and enriching,” concluded Godlimpi
The Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Zuko Godlimpi speaking at the sugarcane growers dialogue that he hosted in uMzinto, on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal
The Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Zuko Godlimpi talking to sugarcane growers Ms Noxolo Shangase and Mr Joseph Sodiya during his visit to the sugarcane farms in KwaZulu-Natal
Bongani Lukhele – Director: Media Relations
Tel: (012) 394 1643
Mobile: 079 5083 457
WhatsApp: 074 2998 512
Email: BLukhele@thedtic.gov.za or Mediarelations@thedtic.gov.za
Issued by: The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic)
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