‘Redistribute sugarcane plantations’
Sunday, 15 July 2012 00:05
Emilia Zindi
Government has been called upon to redistribute thousands of hectares of sugarcane plantations in the Lowveld to indigenous landless people of Zimbabwe who are yearning for a chance to break into the lucrative industry.
The call was made by the Zimbabwe Sugarcane Development Association (ZSDA) chairman, Mr Edmore Veterai, who expressed concern over Tongaat Hullet, which still owns about 29 000 hectares of land, saying it should be redistributed under the land reform programme.
Addressing sugarcane farmers at a general meeting held in Chiredzi over the weekend, Mr Veterai said it was worrying that thousands of hectares under sugarcane are owned by a single company.
“It is my hope that the 29 000 hectares of land that are owned by Tongaat Hullet will be redistributed in a proper and equitable manner so that everyone benefits. The Hippo Valley workers who have the expertise should also get land. They must all have land,” he said. Mr Veterai urged sugarcane farmers in the Lowveld to continue working hard towards cane production so that the gains of the liberation struggle would not be reversed.
Sugarcane farmers in the Chiredzi area have for a long time been struggling to produce on the farms due to limited access to financial assistance as well as the absence of a Government subsidised input schemes. As a result, most farmers have been forced to engage in contract farming with Tongaat Hullet.
Farmers argue that the company should be mandated to focus on milling only.
Tongaat Hullet’s chief executive Mr Sydney Mutsambiwa confirmed his company’s operations in Zimbabwe comprise 29 000 hectares of developed cane-land and 15 880 hectares being farmed privately.
He said the company also has 42 000 employees working in six African countries namely Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland and South Africa.
Mr Mutsambiwa claimed the company also plays a leading role in uplifting the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans.
“Tongaat Hullet Zimbabwe is involved in many socio-economic development programmes, including private farmer cane-land rehabilitation through SusCo, a national herd development project in which so far 30 bulls have been donated to various communities in Masvingo province, procurement of goods and services from local communities worth $113 million, purification of Chiredzi town water supply, provision of education support to 11 787 pupils through our 21 schools as well as education welfare support to surrounding communities, among other projects,’’ he said.
Labels: LAND REFORM, SUGAR CANE, TONGAAT HULETT LTD
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Sugarcane farmers get lifeline
Sunday, 16 October 2011 01:24 Agriculture
By Emilia Zindi recently in Chiredzi
HUNDREDS of sugarcane growers in the Lowveld who were set to lose farms for failing to utilise land productively have been thrown a lifeline after sugar milling company Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe unveiled a US$3,5 million credit facility.
Under the facility, the farmers are expected to receive fertiliser, seed, pesticide, herbicide, fuel and tillage services during the 2011/2012 summer cropping season.
The firm has also pledged to settle their water and electricity bills.
Commercial Sugarcane Farmers’ Association of Zimbabwe chief executive Mr Daniel Tsingo said the initiative would ensure growers rehabilitate farms where the crop is more than 10 years old.
He said the association was upbeat about the scheme whose inputs will be availed before the onset of the rains.
“We are happy and credit will be offset after we sell the crop,” he said.
Under the scheme, the firm will provide tractors, rippers, disc harrows and ridgers for land preparation. Agro-chemicals and labour are also part of the package.
Each farmer will get assistance on 10 hectares over two seasons with the more than 600 farmers in the region expected to rehabilitate a cumulative 12 000 hectares.
Local farmer Mr Patrick Sibanda lauded Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe for introducing the scheme.
“We are more than pleased as we are now able to plant new crops. We could not have done it on our own,’’ he said.
Another beneficiary, Mr Hezekiah Mhunduru, was optimistic most farmers would meet production targets.
“If the crop is fed well, one would produce between 80 and 100 tonnes of raw sugarcane. Eight tonnes of the cane can produce a tonne of sugar,” he said.
“This scheme is different because there is no demand for collateral. All we have to do is pay back through the harvest we will deliver to the company.
“Also important to note is the fact that there is no way input prices can be inflated. Everything is in black and white.’’
Mr Micah Sinaravo of Farm 29 Sub-Division Four said: “I really appreciate this scheme because I do not have the requisite equipment to make for a viable farming venture. This initiative has come at the right time.”
Most farmers in the region were allocated properties under the land reform programme. They, however, failed to fully utilise the farms owing to crippling financial challenges.
The farmers could not rehabilitate flood irrigation systems and plant the crop anew.
This resulted in large portions of land lying idle for years.
Local district lands committees subsequently recommended that the farms be repossessed, a move the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement thwarted.
A good number of farms were a hive of activity when The Sunday Mail visited Chiredzi last week with land preparation in full swing.
Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe managing director Mr Sydney Mtsambiwa could not be reached for comment.
Labels: SUGAR, SUGAR CANE, TONGAAT HULETT LTD
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Tongaat Hulett to invest US$19m in Zim
Tendai Maringise/Bloomberg
Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:22:00 +0000
TONGAAT Hulett Ltd., the sugar company part-owned by Anglo American Plc, plans to invest 150 million rand ($19 million) in Zimbabwe after the formation of the inclusive Government has improved the socio-political environment in the country.
It’s “night to day when we compare what has been happening this year in Zimbabwe to the last 10 years,” Peter Staude, chief executive officer of the Tongaat, South Africa-based company, told Bloomberg in a phone interview.
The sugar producer will make the investment over three years to help meet a goal of doubling its output of the sweetener in Zimbabwe, he said.
Tongaat, South Africa’s second-biggest sugar company, will produce about 298,000 metric tons of the sweetener in Zimbabwe this year, Staude said. That equates to about half of installed capacity of 600,000 tons, according to the CEO. Zimbabwe is among African countries that qualify for preferential access to the European Union at premium prices, he said.
Profit Jumps
The sugar company also reported a ninefold surge in first- half profit after including its Zimbabwean activities in results. Net income jumped to 2.42 billion rand from 266 million rand a year earlier, Tongaat said today in a stock-exchange statement. Sales gained 24 percent to 3.85 billion rand.
“Increased emphasis on renewable energy” will buoy international sugar prices, while shortages of land and water will also help support prices, said Staude.
Tongaat was unchanged at 98.50 rand in Johannesburg trading. The stock has jumped 55 percent this year, increasing the company’s market value to 10.2 billion rand. That’s almost equal to Illovo Sugar Ltd., the biggest South African sugar producer.
Labels: ANGLO-AMERICAN, TONGAAT HULETT LTD
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