Record sugar imports into South Africa are placing severe pressure on local growers who collectively support up to 1 million jobs, prompting the industry’s lobby group to urge consumers to buy only locally produced sugar.
Between January and September, about 153,344 tons of what SA Canegrowers described as “heavily subsidised” sugar entered the country, nearly triple the previous record for the same period last year, the group said on Thursday, citing data from the tax authorities.
SA Canegrowers said domestic producers already supply more than enough sugar to meet national demand, making imports unnecessary.
The increase in imports has led to losses amounting to R684 million “and counting,” the organisation said, warning that the future of 27,000 small-scale and 1,100 large-scale farmers is now in jeopardy.
“Growers cannot endure an uneven playing field indefinitely,” the group said. “If nothing is done, the result will be job losses, farms shutting down, and the decline of rural economies that have supported Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal for generations.”
To counter the impact of imports, the association has launched a “Save Our Sugar” campaign, encouraging South Africans to choose locally produced sugar. More than 70,000 people have already pledged their support.
“If this issue is not addressed, hundreds of thousands of livelihoods will be at risk, which will harm the country as a whole,” said SA Canegrowers Chairman Higgins Mdluli.
