Sucre Ethique - swaziland Sugarcane farming causes famine

Weekend>Observers - mercredi 6 octobre 2010

SUGARCANE farming is not yielding the desired results and is causing famine around Siphofaneni.
This is the view of Member of Parliament Gundwane Gamedze, who was speaking at the Inkhundla last Thursday during a visit by civil servants, who want to form a foundation that will help the needy under the constituency.

Gamedze said while sugarcane had the market, it was not worth the labour because of the low income it brought.
He said they were able to sell the cane to sugar companies, but what the farmers got in return was not encouraging. “Sugarcane farmers are very poor yet they work thoroughout the year,” he lamented. He stated that it took a lot of time and effort to grow sugarcane yet farmers got little in terms of returns.
Chief Maphilingo Shongwe also echoed Gamedze’s words, saying sugarcane farming had only helped worsen hunger in the area. He said people in the area gave their land to LUSIP projects and ventured into sugarcane farming with high hopes and only got disappointed by the returns.
He said he was not against people farming sugarcane, but only wanted them to ensure that they had food. “I do not want people to say I am against development, but they should be wary of what we have to eat, is it the cane or maize ?” he asked.
Shongwe advised people of Siphofaneni to look into ways of improving food security in the area and stop taking uninformed decisions like giving up all their land for sugarcane farming.
He also highlighted the fact that the cost of sugarcane maybe low because of saturation of the market and advised that people should venture into other cash crops other than sugarcane.
On another note, MP Gamedze decried the fact that the local youth loves alcohol.
He said one day he personally witnessesd the youth in a drunken binge at night and lamented that such was very discouraging.
He said he once found a youthful couple embracing and when he warned the female that she would fall pregnant, she responded by asking him how he would feature as MP should she fall pregnant.
“She asked me if I would be the one to carry the baby, and I immediately left her,” Gamedze said.