Durban - SA Canegrowers has revealed that cane growers' losses as a result of recent heavy rainfall and floods in KwaZulu-Natal stood at R222.9 million.
SA Canegrowers said it had conducted a survey among cane growers in rural areas of KwaZulu Natal to determine the impact of the recent rains and flooding. The preliminary results, which have been provided to the national government, reveal extensive damage to canefields, farm infrastructure and to access routes that allow growers to deliver their cane to mills.
SA Canegrowers chief executive Dr Thomas Funke said that by Tuesday afternoon, just over 300 growers had responded to the survey and reported that 2 516.65 hectares of cane had extensive crop and root damage, therefore requiring the total replanting of these fields to bring them back into production.
“This damage comes to an estimated R194.9million. Farm infrastructure to the value of R27.9 million has also been destroyed, bringing the total losses to R222.9million,” Funke said.
He said local roads and bridges were washed away, which were not only the main transport nodes to mills but also the access routes for farm inputs and workers employed on these farms.
“This catastrophic damage comes just as many cane growers had started recovering from the riots and arson attacks that took place in July last year, which saw 554 000 tons of cane being burnt and R84 million in losses. It is clear that this latest tragedy could be the final death knell for hundreds of cane growers and the rural livelihoods they support. In particular, small-scale growers are most at risk of not recovering from losses of this magnitude,” Funke said.
He said the SA Canegrowers had collated the information into a report which was sent to the national government on Tuesday afternoon, following a request received from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition as well as the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.
The association welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that a national state of disaster has been declared to ensure the mobilisation of more resources, capabilities and technical expertise to provide relief and rehabilitation to affected communities.
It was vital that these plans included assistance for the sugar industry, which provided more than one million livelihoods where they were desperately needed in rural communities, Funke said.
“SA Canegrowers has therefore requested urgent financial and infrastructure relief from the government to all affected growers so they are able to replant their cane fields and sustain a cash flow while they rebuild their farms in order to be in production by the next harvest season. The report included a list of local roads and bridges that need to be prioritised for repairs so workers are able to access farms and growers are able to transport cane to mills,” Funke said.
He said a table was compiled to assist with identifying the needs of each individual grower and broader mill regions in order to assist the government to divert resources where these were needed most. This table would be continually updated, as new information was received from growers, and provided to the government.
Funke said the SA Canegrowers remained committed to working closely with the government to ensure critical relief is provided to growers severely impacted by the recent catastrophic events.
“With our industry continuing to face a number of challenges, including the influx of cheap imports and the health promotion levy, we need to do all we can to assist these growers to rebuild so they continue to support the workers and communities who depend on them.”
Daily News