EU support to Eswatini's smallholder sugarcane farmers benefits over 3 000 households
On 12 October 2018, EU Ambassador to Eswatini, Esmeralda Hernandez Aragones, attended that the Smallholder Sugarcane Growers competition held at Siphofaneni where she was the guest speaker.
In her speech during the event, Ambassador Hernandez Aragones, said the EU's support to the sugar sector in Eswatini over the years has seen over 7 500 hectors being developed for smallholder sugarcane farmers, benefitting more than 3 000 households, with even more people enjoying the services of improved road infrastructure made possible by the EU support to the sugar belt.
"Since the establishment of the Swati sugar industry in the 1950s, the European Union is proud to have been part of one of the most important economic sectors of Eswatini, first through the provision of preferential market for Swati sugar and presently through the Accompanying Measures for Sugar Protocol Countries," said the Ambassador.
She added: "Over the past 12 years the EU and the Kingdom of Eswatini have implemented the Accompanying Measures with the primary objective of improving the competitiveness of the local industry in view of the removal of the EU sugar quotas as already observed from 1 October 2018. Not only that, the programme was also designed to alleviate poverty and improve the standard of life for the people living in the sugar producing areas."
Hernandez Aragones further assured the smallholder sugarcane farmers that sugar sales from Eswatini to the EU will still continue within the framework of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) signed between the EU and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).
About 30 smallholder farmer companies, in both commercial and Swazi Nation Land, received awards during this competition. The overall winner was Vukani Farmers with 91.49 points ahead of second placed and previous winners, Mganyaneni Farmers Association with 90.7 points.
As overall winners, Vukani Farmers received a trophy as well as sponsorship worth 16 000 SZL to send their personnel for project and managerial training in Durban in South Africa.