Sugar exports in Mozambique

One World Action is undertaking this research. It aims to make recommendation on how to include gender analysis more systematically in trade negotiations. The research focuses on one key export in each country – sugar in Mozambique, beef in Namibia and cut flowers in Zambia.

‘We are aware that much current research and thinking focuses on the negative effects of reciprocity. We support this work but also argue that we need to ensue that the EU provides positive development support to countries in order to make EPAs worthwhile.’

The Mozambique experience

The next section of the paper looks specifically at sugar exports in Mozambique. This case study best illustrates the broader challenges of applying a gender analysis to discussions on EPAs because it shows that even though an EPA could be good for the Mozambican sugar industry because of industry expansion, this will not de facto lead to an improvement in the lives of poor women and men and hence impact poverty levels positively. The industry plays a vital role in the Mozambican economy. It has contributed to increased employment and exports and it is the major employer within the private sector and the second major employer in the public sector, where women represent 14% of the labour force. However this has not contributed to positive changes in women’s lives.

Employment

The sugar industry employs more than 21,500 seasonal and permanent workers, which is equivalent to little more than 17,000 full time workers. These figures exclude workers of companies that are contracted by some sugar growers for cutting, collecting and transport of cane, as well as those who work for outgrowing independent farmers. After the public sector, the sugar industry employs the highest number of people in Mozambique.

The number of female workers in the sugar industry is just above 16% of the total workforce of the industry. Xinavane, one of the factories in the southern region, stands out from the other industries as it employs nearly 56% of the total female workforce of the four factories.

Table 4: Jobs in the Sugar Sector, 2005

Source: Sugar of Marromeu, Mafambisse, Xinavane and Maragra

The number of women employed in the sugar industry, compared to men, is low considering that the majority of women in the Mozambique economy are in the rural areas and they are in the agricultural sector. Although available data does not explain the differences between men and women’s participation and contribution, it is known that women do not have equal access and participation in formal employment nor to income agriculture. Women are more likely to be involve d in subsistence agriculture. Given the restrictions they have in doing cropping activities, women should be compensated by having more access to other kind of activities such as cultivation and the factory work.

Women mentioned the fact that fertilisation is a heavy duty because they have to carry huge and heavy volumes of fertilizer: a container on their backs and another refill quantity on the top of their heads. They walk long distances spreading the fertiliser. This can cause health problems (e.g. ba ck/spinal injuries) in the long term. Women with babies or small children have limited access to jobs due to child care activities. There are no efforts from the Sugar factory to create child care facilities near the workplace. The unique crèche in the Manhica village is far away from the factory. Women working in the factories cannot afford to pay the amounts charged due to lower level of salaries they earn. Most of the women are heads of family and many men from Manhica District work in the South Africa mines. These results in work overloads on women who have to combine paid employment, subsistence agriculture and house care activities. Where families are affected by HIV/AIDS or their relatives or neighbours, women have also to provide care support (unpaid care work).

If the Economic Partnership Agreements are developmental, as stated by the EU, and considering the opportunities foreseen for the sugar industry in Mozambique, it is likely that this sector can contribute to poverty reduction. However, to make this happen it is important that the period of preferential access to EU markets by LDC countries after 2009 is extended and that policies and procedures are put in place in order to improve access to employment for women, improve working conditions (particularly for pregnant women, child care services), access to literacy programmes, access to information and technology communication and promotion of investment by local producers. In other words, the developmental dimensions of EPAs need to be strengthe ned. Opportunities should be given to women to engage in local farmers cane production for supplying the sugar factories. But for that, they need access and control of land, capacity building in terms of training, access to new technology to improve and increase productivity; and access to credit to allow them to invest in land.

Gender analysis questions

Because One World Action is interested in how poor women would potentially be impacted by EPAs, questions covered the following areas:

• Where are women in the formal and informal economy relative to men?
• What levels of employment/ unemployment exist among women relative to men?
• What kinds of national policies/ strategies are in place to address poverty,
  unemployment?
• In what ways precisely is the sector affected directly or indirectly by import and export trade? What is the impact on women relative to men?
• How does current trade policy and other government trade related policies (e.g. on marketing inputs and outputs) affect the situation – how are things different now because of these policies than the way they would be without those policies; what is the relative importance within this group of policies of the ones that might be changed in an EPA? How would women be impacted relative to men?
• How will the status quo change if the current policies are altered in the way that may be necessary under an EPA? What would this mean for women relative to men?
• Are there other policies (not affected – or not necessarily affected – by the EPA) that could be used to offset any adverse effects identified in the previous bullet?

[shortened case study adapted from ‘Gender and Economic Partnership Agreements’ Zohra Khan, One World Action details below]