Sugar is sweet when you're farming it

Today sugar cane is grown in more than 120 countries and used in millions of products - from medicines and cosmetics to ice cream and syrup.

Right next door to the Kruger National Park, in Malelane, Theo Chiyoka works in the sugar cane industry where he is now a general manager at TSB Sugar and has been growing sugar for the past 27 years having started his career at grass roots level in Zimbabwe.

He developed a deep love for Mother Earth and her yields and believes in the old saying that the best fertiliser is the farmer's own footsteps.

"It's a misconception that anyone can farm," he laughs. "You have to be passionate about it. If you don't love plants they won't grow well in your hands."

Crop production management isn't only about sowing seeds at the right time and giving them sunlight, water and fertiliser. It's a science that starts right from soil analysis, finding out which crops will thrive in a particular soil and understanding plant physiology and irrigation.

With a whopping 12,500 hectares of sugar cane in his care, Chiyoka has proved his mettle as a farmer by working hard to get where he is today and being prepared to make some sacrifices along the way.

He started out with a diploma in agriculture but felt he needed something more.

"I knew that I wouldn't be able to go into more senior management positions without a higher qualification, so I went back to 'varsity and got my degree in agronomy," he says.

It wasn't easy after working for many years, but Chiyoka was determined and put the necessary hours into his studies, clearly another passion as he also has a Masters degree in strategic management.

Crop production management is a career which doesn't allow for regular office hours. People may "knock off" at 4pm, but then spend evening planning the field and recording details to ensure crops are growing the way they are expected to. The biggest challenge that crop production managers face is the uncertainty of the crop yields.

Chiyoka says its impossible for a farmer to control the weather or other outside influences, such as pests, diseases, the sugar price on international markets or any of these extraneous things that all have an impact on the business.

"People often forget that farming and crop production is a business and an intricate one at that," says Chiyoka.

"The decisions you make have a direct impact on your profitability."

Chiyoka knows just how tough it is when Mother Nature throws a curve ball.

He was farming cotton north of the Limpopo when more than 2,000 hectares of pristine crop was wiped out by the floods in early 2000.

"It's not an easy way to make a living, but when you win, you have a real sense of accomplishment," he adds.

Source: Sowetan via I-Net Bridge