First SA Canegrowers’ lucerne harvest on the Makhathini shows real promise 

Colleen Dardagan

The SA Canegrowers-led lucerne trial on the Makhathini Flats aimed at providing a viable crop alternative for small-scale sugarcane growers has delivered on both yield and quality.

The two-year programme started earlier this year when 0.5ha were planted as a trial to find a viable cash-crop alternative for small-scale sugarcane growers in the region.  

With the continuing pressure from the government’s sugar tax and cheap imports flooding into the country, South Africa’s sugar industry is under intense pressure. Profit margins have shrunk while input and transport costs are ever increasing.

Theuns Theunissen, who is the SA Canegrowers’ Regional Manager for Zululand, said the increased costs and shrinking profit margins had hit the small-scale growers on the Makhathini Flats particularly hard. “These growers must transport their sugarcane to the sugar mill which can be between 90km and 200kms away. The cost of transport can be as high as R400 per ton. Growers who have between 1ha and 10has under cane are unable to benefit from economies of scale,” Theunissen said.

Above: (Left) SA Canegrowers’ Regional Manager for Zululand, Theuns Theunissen training Makhathini Flats small-scale growers on how to sow the lucerne seed.
(Right) The lucerne, once baled, was snapped up within minutes by neighbouring livestock farmers.

The lucerne will also provide an ideal crop rotation option for the small-scale growers which will assist in disrupting the lifecycles' of sugarcane pest and diseases, its efficient and deep taproot system will help to loosen compacted soil and the legume’s nitrogen fixing properties will cut fertiliser costs.

Theunissen added that while the lucerne trial was still in its early stages, the initial results were very promising.

“The first harvest was a “clearing” after the winter months and yielded just 30 bales. The last harvest was on November 14 and yielded 59 bales. At an average of 26kg for a bale that equals three tons per hectare which is the upper yield potential we were hoping for.”

He said at the upper estimate, the annual combined yields could reach 25 tons per hectare. “If the price holds at R150 per bale it equals R5 770 per ton of lucerne. At the estimated crop yield and price, the expected revenue is pegged between R100 000 and R145 000 market dependent.”

Theunissen said he was hoping to manage seven harvest cycles in a year yielding 21 tons in total. “We haven’t lab tested a sample of the lucerne hay yet but on visual inspection the quality seems to be of a good standard.”

Recent areas of focus, he said, included improving the irrigation systems by installing new draglines, couplers and sprinkler heads. “We eliminated all the leaks and improved the system’s efficiency. However, we struggled with water availability over extended periods because of breakages and maintenance issues from the Makhathini Irrigation Scheme water supply.”

Above: (Left) Women rake the newly cut lucerne into windrows in preparations for baling. (Right) Freshly sown lucerne seed beginning to germinate.

Successes, he said, included proactive weed eradication and fungus prevention as high humidity meant the possibility of leaf spot, downy mildew and rust infections was high. “Our programme included preventative fungicide spraying to keep the lucerne healthy and growing at optimum,” Theunissen said.

In more arid regions of the country, e.g. the Northern Cape and North West where lucerne is grown at scale, the crop is baled two to three days after cutting, however, the relatively humid conditions so prevalent on the flats means the lucerne is baled at about five days after cutting. “Drying off the lucerne hay is a high-risk factor for us, but it went better than we thought it would. We had no rain and were able to bale within five days,” he said.

Theunissen who grew up on a commercial scale lucerne production operation in the Northern Cape said he could not help but to feel proud of the achievement. “This is on a smaller scale, I know, but the future really looks very promising for increased lucerne production on the Makhathini.”  

The SA Canegrowers’ Board has ringfenced R200 000 over a two-year period which includes the cost of land preparation, seed, crop maintenance, cutting and baling. The seed was planted on small-scale grower and co-operator, Fredman Myeni’s land while operations and training are being managed by SA Canegrowers’ Agriculture Business Advisor for Jozini, Mfundo Mdlozini.

Once the two-year cycle is completed the lucerne plot will be handed to Myeni to continue with the growing and harvesting of the crop.

Mdlozini said he was delighted with the demand for the lucerne. “The bales sold like hot cakes. We got orders before we even started cutting and baling.”

He said the interest and level of excitement shown by the small-scale growers at a grower day held onsite at the time the lucerne harvest was exciting. “There is little doubt that soon we will be supporting and mentoring several of the small-scale growers in the region who are showing genuine interest in adopting the lucerne crop as an ideal diversification option. This will add to the viability of their current sugarcane operations,” Mdlozini said.