A train hauls sugar on the Nandi-Mkwasine railway line

Pamenus Tuso

Beria Madondo is one of the first black farmers to embark on commercial sugarcane production in the Nandi/Mkwasine area in the lowveld.

He was among the first 191 black farmers to be allocated pieces of land in the area under the Government‘s initial resettlement scheme in the 1980s.

Before then, white commercial farmers used to exclusively dominate this lucrative agricultural sub-sector.

During the Government’s 2000 resettlement programme, more indigenous farmers were also allocated land for commercial sugar cane production.

For Madondo and the rest of the beneficiaries of the land reform programme, it was a struggle to produce sugar cane at commercial level.

“I was allocated my farm in October 1987 during the first phase of the resettlement programme. When I started, things were really bad for me because I did not have enough capital to buy machinery as well as to buy inputs. Of course, I had any idea of how to grow sugar cane because I had worked for Tongaat Hulett as a field worker for several years,” said Madondo in an interview.

With dedication and training, most of the resettled sugar cane farmers have developed into competent and viable cane producers, thereby making a significant contribution towards the growth of the industry.

“When we started sugar cane farming, most of us did not know anything about the crop. We are very grateful to Mkwasine sugar cane estate for training us on how to grow, tender and market the sugar cane. Right now, things are looking very good for us,” said Iysias Dika, another farmer.

“Of the 28, 2 hectares which I own, only four hectares are still fallow. For each hectare, I harvest between 100 to 105 tonnes of sugar cane. This is a good harvest for me, considering that the current price of sugar is $571 per tonne.”

However, to some extent, the farmers’ zeal and determination to surpass their targets was hampered by an ageing railway line on which they move their produce to mills in Hippo Valley and Triangle.

The track was no longer stable enough to transport farmers’ produce to mills, both of which are owned by Tongaat Hulett.  Trains carrying cane frequently derailed and moved slowly as the line was replete with speed restrictions.  This forced farmers to resort to hiring haulage trucks which were more expensive, thereby reducing their profits.

Given the economic importance of the 35 kilometre railway line between Mkwasine and the mills, the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) and the European Union (EU) embarked on a project to rehabilitate it in 2013 leading to its commissioning on December 6 last year.

Speaking at the commissioning of the new railway line in Chiredzi, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Dr Joram Gumbo said the route will improve efficiency in the conveyance of cane between the Mkwasine cane fields and the sugar mills in Hippo Valley and Triangle.

“This track had deteriorated, causing frequent derailments, poor transit times due to speed restrictions and limitations in terms of the size of locomotives that can be deployed to work on the line. Today, this line accounts for the movement of +/- 400 000 metric tonnes of sugar cane per annum to the mills,” said Dr Gumbo.

He said the Nandi-Mkwasine railway line project also fulfils government’s policy on promoting public /private partnerships through the involvement of both the public and private players in capacity building as well as other socio-economic development projects.

“It is vital to note that Mkwasine, as a community and indeed Mkwasine estates as an organisation has been the cornerstone of development in this sugarcane industrial area. The Zimbabwe government acknowledges the importance of sugarcane production in this country, hence supports this initiative that will see the provision of safe and cost-effective rail transportation services,” added Dr Gumbo.

The project was jointly funded by NRZ and EU and was consummated under the National Sugar Adaptation Strategy (NSAS).

Farmers hailed the two partners for upgrading the line saying the development will boost sugar cane production and reward them more handsomely.

“Before the rehabilitation of the rail line, a lot of farmers were now using expensive haulage trucks to transport their sugar to mills. Now with this new rail line, farmers are able to transport their sugar cane whilst they are still fresh and still have standard weight,” said Dika.

Another farmer , Miriam Soko said:

“Most farmers were now contemplating abandoning the business because it was no longer sustainable due to exorbitant transport costs. Now with this new railway link, farmers can no longer cope with the pace of NRZ wagons. We now need to increase our production because cheap and efficient transport is now available.”