KZN Sugarcane farmers relieved as they welcome summer heavy rains
Sugarcane farmers in the province of KwaZulu-Natal have expressed relief in the wake of heavy rains last week. The farmers believe the heavy rains will be beneficial to their businesses across the province. According to the South African Farmers Development Association (Safda) executive chairman, Dr. Siyabonga Madlala, he said the recent rains will positively impact
KZN Sugarcane farmers relieved as they welcome summer heavy rains
Sugarcane farmers in the province of KwaZulu-Natal have expressed relief in the wake of heavy rains last week.
The farmers believe the heavy rains will be beneficial to their businesses across the province.
According to the South African Farmers Development Association (Safda) executive chairman, Dr. Siyabonga Madlala, he said the recent rains will positively impact sugarcane production.
Mdlala said this should ultimately generate more revenue for farmers because sugar loves the rain, he told SABC News.
“Rains are always welcomed. Especially in January when under normal circumstances we get very hot [weather patterns in] January that normally dries our moisture. I mean sugar loves the rain,” said Madlala.
“In other normal circumstances where there is enough water they do irrigate, but we know that a large number of our small-scale farmers are farming in rain-fed areas.
“We really are only counting on rain, the sugar cane crop loves water, the only challenge we have is that we don’t have enough fertilizer. We are really appealing [to] the government to assist us because the price of fertilizer as it were has tripled.”
In a related piece, BusinessTech Africa recently published that dubbed the largest sugar producer in South Africa, Tongaat Hulett has received a massive financial boost from the Industrial Development Corporation.
The IDC has pumped up an undisclosed amount of money into the struggling sugar producer, Tongaat Hulett.
News24 reports that Tongaat Hulett has received an undisclosed sum from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to help it complete its milling season and do maintenance.
Tongaat was placed in business rescue back in October following a development by lenders that failed to give their backing to a restructuring plan.
“The finance advanced by the IDC, known as post-commencement finance, is the group’s first cash injection since it was placed into business rescue,” said Tongaat to News24 but not revealing the amount it received.
