Fourth sugar mill for Swaziland

MATSAPHA- Government is currently investigating possibilities of setting up a forth sugar mill in the country.

The proposed sugar mill is earmarked for Sidvokodvo. Currently, Swaziland has three sugar mills namely, the Mhlume, Simunye and Illovo sugar mills.

Minister of Agriculture Clement Dlamini said government had already started with the feasibility study to investigate the possibilities of setting up the sugar mill.

“Government is currently looking at setting up a forth sugar mill in the country because we have realised that farmers need it. We are currently doing a feasibility study of the possibilities of setting up the sugar mill at Sidvokodvo.


Project

“We have heard that sugar cane farmers under the Lower Usuthu Smallholder Irrigation Project (LUSIP) have called for a sugar mill at Siphofaneni partly because they want to reduce the costs associated with producing sugar.

However, as I have said before, it is not possible to establish a sugar mill to accommodate them because Illovo Sugar set aside an expansion programme and they committed E1.4 billion that will accommodate the sugar produced by the farmers at LUSIP. Illovo Sugar wanted assurance that government would safeguard their interest when this commitment was made and we gave it to them so it in this regard that government believes it is not possible to establish a mill for the farmers at LUSIP,” Dlamini explained.
Elaborating on the proposed sugar mill, Dlamini said the proposed site was chosen because it had proven to have arable soil that was suitable for sugar cane growing.


Construction

“Following the construction of a dam near Mkhondvo River, we thought it would be a good idea to establish the sugar mill at Sidvokodvo because the farmers that will use the sugar mill will utilize the water from the dam. In this way, everybody benefits,” he said.

He also said government would rope in experts to assist in the roll-out plan for the establishment of the mill.
“Government will take the lead in this project but we will engage experts to help us in whatever field we need assistance. We are actually working with Tibiyo TakaNgwane on this project and we are looking forward to when the mill is finally opened because it will help a lot of farmers in the country.

We have already started with the feasibility study into the establishment of the sugar mill and we already have investors who are interested in setting up the mill,” he said.

Source:times.co.sz/