South Africa : Cyril Ramaphosa urged to reaffirm local sugar procurement commitment
South Africa’s sugar growers have urged President Ramaphosa to honour his 2021 local procurement pledge, warning the industry faces collapse. Rising sugar imports, the sugar tax, high power costs, and unresolved mill issues are eroding incomes and threatening jobs, rural livelihoods, and food security.
In a poignant reminder of promises made and hopes stalled, South Africa’s small and large-scale sugarcane growers are appealing to President Cyril Ramaphosa to honour his 2021 commitment to bolster the local sugar industry through local procurement. Five years on, the industry’s fragile ecosystem is on the brink of collapse, says SA Canegrowers, threatening the livelihoods of approximately 27,000 small-scale and 1,100 large-scale growers.
The initial optimism sparked by Ramaphosa’s 2021 State of the Nation Address has given way to despair as growers battle a multitude of unprecedented challenges, the organisation said. Reports indicate that since the President’s promise, the landscape for sugarcane farming has only deteriorated. Imported sugar, often sourced from countries with unfair trade practices, has surged to alarmingly high levels, forcing local producers to compete in an uneven playing field.
According to SA Canegrowers, an analysis of SA Revenue Service data reveals that 163,379 tons of imported sugar flooded into the country between April and December 2025. This is a stark increase from the same period in 2024, where imports were half that volume. It also emerged that 20,000 tons of sugar arrived from Brazil, India, and Thailand in December alone, a quantity previously seen only over a full year.
The influx of foreign sugar not only displaces home-grown products, but also diminishes the earnings of local growers, said SA Canegrowers. The urgency to maintain local procurement commitments becomes ever more crucial, as such measures are designed to shield domestic industries from unfair competition and to safeguard employment, food security, and rural development, it said.
Moreover, the sugar tax has taken a hefty toll on the industry, resulting in over 16,000 job losses. Coupled with burgeoning electricity prices, which further strain irrigation capabilities, growers are grappling with challenges that threaten their very survival. Compounding these woes are delays in the resolution of the Tongaat Hulett business rescue process, embroiled in protracted court battles.
What sets the South African sugar industry apart from others, said SA Canegrowers, is its unique capacity for inclusivity. It’s one of the rare agricultural sectors where both small-scale and large-scale growers are acknowledged as equal commercial producers. The enforced integration and regulated value chain facilitate equitable payments to all parties involved — including millers. This model stands as a testament to successful agricultural development that could easily slip through our fingers without the necessary governmental support.
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Source : IOL
