Call from growers to diversify sugar industry
SUGAR CANE growers continue to plead for government support to diversify the sector while restoring demand for locally produced sugar.
This as the sector champions the creation of a second phase of the Sugar Cane Value Chain Masterplan, a social compact between industry and the government.
SA Canegrowers Association chairperson Andrew Russell said the second phase of the masterplan must explore various innovations to secure the future of the industry, which includes exploring the use of sugar for fuel.
This, he said, would ensure the longterm viability of sugar cane growers and the rural economies they support in an increasingly green global economy.
“Previous research indicated that South Africa could produce as much as 433 million litres of sustainable aviation fuels by diverting just 50% of the 19 million tonnes of sugar cane we produce.
“We cannot leave this potential untapped as the world clamours for sustainable energy sources,” said Russell.
He said it is also critical that the government commits to not increasing the sugar tax in 2025.
“This would threaten more than 21 000 small-scale growers’ ability to feed their families,” said Russell.
The masterplan for the South African sugar cane value chain is the result of a
process of extensive engagement among industry stakeholders, including small and large cane growers, millers and refiners, retailers and industrial users of sugar, and the government.
The first phase of the masterplan sought to ensure ‘immediate action to prevent the collapse of the sugar industry and urgently commence a restructuring programme’.