Africa-Press – Eswatini. EWADE and USL have strengthened their partnership in order to establish sustainable and profitable farming businesses.
The two entities yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), whose objective is to ensure the successful establishment of new farming companies in the 4 000-hectare LUSIP II Scheme. This is undertaken through the provision of technical support from Ubombo Sugar Limited (USL) and Eswatini Water Agricultural Development (EWADE) to the newly-created farming companies.
Contracted
USL has grower support teams that are contracted through Eswatini Sugar Association to provide extension support for growers in the Ubombo Sugar mill supply area. EWADE has facilitated, designed, and implemented the bulk infrastructure and irrigation of the scheme. The intention is for USL to take oversight of the crop establishment and husbandry operations, using the existing USL extension team and which operations will be implemented through service providers in consultation with the growers. Speaking at the signing ceremony, EWADE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Samson Sithole highlighted that the collaboration came a long way since the inception of the Lower Usuthu Smallholder Irrigation Project (LUSIP) in 2005. “Over the past 18 years, EWADE and USL have collaborated successfully in the delivery of the LUSIP phase 1 objectives and now the ongoing LUSIP phase II, founded on the mutually shared objective to leave no one behind on issues of poverty alleviation through the establishment of suitable and profitable farming businesses with emphasis in sugar cane production,” he said. Sithole further mentioned that major milestones had been achieved, accomplishing the 5 000 hectares target for sugar cane under LUSIP I from 2009-2018 in 56 farmer companies.
Celebrated
“Some of the achievements have been celebrated through the successful implementation of the Ubombo Swaziland Sugar Facility (USF) in 2015-18 as well as the annual smallholder sugarcane growers’ competition wherein all the LUSIP farmers participate effectively. Also speaking at the signing was USL Managing Director Muzi Siyaya who acknowledged the work that was done by the stakeholders and leaders before them. “This project is especially important for the future of Ubombo,” he said. “As a company, through this partnership, we are also looking to expedite the procurement of planting contractors who are critical in production,” added Siyaya.
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