New sugar-man in town
Sugar is the lifeblood of the Dolphin Coast community, the backbone of the local economy.
Should it fail, the knock-on affect would ripple throughout the North Coast, from the hundreds of farmers and the thousands of their employees, to the countless businesses that provide the farms with services and rely on them for their existence.
This is according to Brendon Nothard, the new North Coast regional manager of the South African Cane Growers Association (Canegrowers), who believes the sustainability of our farmers is crucial for the stability of the area.
This is where Canegrowers comes in.
“Our role is to protect the growers. We strive to be involved in everything that affects them, from land reform issues, to on-site financial management assistance.”
“Times are tough. The enormous and increasing pressures that farmers have been facing, especially in the last couple of years, have just further underlined the importance of assistance from organisations such as Canegrowers. I’m seeing more and more need to get involved, as farmers grapple with the realities of fast rising input costs like fertilizer and fuel, while the effects of the 2010 drought are still being felt.”
Still Nothard said local growers are incredibly resilient.
“It is inspiring to see how they continue to pull through, despite the pressures.”
Nothard heads the team that looks after farmers who feed their cane into the Darnall, Gledhow and Maidstone mills.
He is supported by regional economist Mzwandile Gina who assists the land reform farmers. as well as grower support officer Bulisa Gcumisa who takes care of the small scale growers.
Nothard mainly looks after the large scale commercial farms, offering assistance with everything from cash flows, budgets and financial planning to industry matters like labour and government subsidies.
He recently moved to Ballito from Zinkwazi with his wife, after five years as the Canegrowers Tugela regional manager. Before this he worked as the agricultural advisor for Standard Bank in Empangeni. Growing up on a cane farm on the South Coast, Nothard is no stranger to farming. Our area is also not new to him as he has served on the Tongaat Hulett Grower Forum since it was formed two years ago.
Nothard said he is looking forward to getting to know all the local role players and learning how to best serve their unique needs.
For more information contact Brendon at his office in Umhlali on 032-947 0176.
