Bitter harvest as dry spell squeezes sugar cane farmers
SA WILL produce its smallest sugar cane crop in 21 years as the industry battles the country’s driest spell on record, squeezing growers.The industry generates R12bn a year and employs 79,000 people directly, or about 11% of the country’s primary agricultural workforce.Last year, KwaZulu-Natal received R114m for drought relief, which will be disbursed by the province to farmers who apply for aid.The South African Sugar Association estimates that sugar production will plunge to 1.53-million tonnes for the 2015-16 season, which closes at the end of next month, from 2.1-million tonnes the previous season.This was the smallest estimate since 1995, when drought restricted production to 1.6-million tonnes of sugar, association executive director Trix Trikam said this week."During (that) drought, the lowest crop dipped to 1.17-million tonnes in the 1993-94 season, causing extensive job losses," explained Mr Trikam.He said it was too early to tell if the industry would suffer financial or j...
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