Sugar cane theft on the rise
Farmers located closer to trusts and villages in the Nkomazi region have been reporting an increase in sugar cane theft.
MALALANE – “This increase in theft seems to coincide with the increase of illegal home-brewed alcohol. The problem is not new to the region, but it has been worsened by the Covid-19 lockdown and the shutdown of alcohol sales,” commented Evans Mashego, senior Agric business adviser in Mpumalanga of South African Cane Growers’ Association (SA Canegrowers).
The brew is allegedly called “Simobana”, which directly translates as “small cane”. SA Canegrowers represents small and large scale growers in Nkomazi.
According to one farmer in Tonga, Mfundo Msimango, approximately 50 tons of sugar cane has been stolen from his fields during lockdown alone. This has a value of around R30 000.
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“We generally have theft but this year it was coupled with lockdown effects. We’ve seen an increase during lockdown due to school kids and making of sugar cane beer. I feel it the most because I have four separate fields which are either bordered by the side of the road or residents.
There is one field that I harvested before the cane was mature enough, trying to salvage what was left of it. I will need to take extraordinary measures in order to minimise theft on the field leaning bordered by residents like digging a metre-wide trench so that they can not jump over,” Msimango said.
Mashego concluded, “Farmers are encouraged to improve their security systems if possible. However, most small scale growers cannot afford increased security due to high input costs.
Growers are also forced to replant or gap-fill the affected areas because the culprits in many cases damage or remove the roots, or they don’t follow the correct harvest procedures. The associated cost of replanting one hectare of cane is approximately R30 000.
SA Canegrowers is working closely with the local Department of Agriculture, Sugar Mills and other relevant stakeholders to try and come up with solutions and to create awareness.”
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