Sugar imports into South Africa doubled year on year in March, adding pressure to an ongoing review of the country’s sugar tariff mechanism as local growers warn that subsidised imports are displacing domestic production.
SA Canegrowers has issued renewed calls to overhaul the sugar import tariff system as the 2026/7 milling season starts off with early deliveries to mills running 48% ahead of the same period last year, signalling a positive start for the country’s 28 000 sugarcane growers.
All mills except the three operated by Tongaat Hulett have opened for the season. The remaining Tongaat mills, which serve around 18 000 growers, are expected to begin accepting cane deliveries in the coming weeks.
“We hope growers supplying the Tongaat Hulett mills, who are beginning the season later than other growing regions, will be able to have a productive and successful season despite the uncertainty surrounding the company,” said SA Canegrowers chairperson Higgins Mdluli.
“The industry continues to show remarkable resilience even under extremely difficult conditions,” Mdluli said.
As important sugar volumes continue to rise, the industry body called for urgent reform of South Africa’s sugar tariff mechanism.
It warned that imported sugar from countries including Brazil, Thailand and India is displacing locally produced sugar in the domestic market and undermining local producers who are competing against heavily subsidised global rivals.
The organisation estimates the local industry loses more than R7 500 for every tonne of imported sugar entering the market, Mdluli said.
In March this year, 16 000 tonnes of imported sugar entered South Africa, double the volume recorded in March 2025. Last year, 213 000 tonnes of sugar were imported from duty-bearing countries, which the organisation described as one of the worst years on record for imports.
The International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (Itac) is currently reviewing the country’s sugar tariff mechanism after the industry initiated the process in October 2024.
SA Canegrowers argues that the existing tariff structure no longer offered adequate protection against distorted global sugar prices driven by state support in major producing countries.
“This has exposed the one million livelihoods to an existential threat. We urge both the IDC (Industrial Development Corporation) and Itac to prioritise the sustainability of the local sugar industry,” Mdluli said.
“Entire rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga depend on sugarcane farming for jobs and economic activity, and the industry supports more than a million livelihoods across the value chain.
“Despite ongoing challenges, growers continue to demonstrate that South Africa can produce sufficient, cost competitive sugar to meet local demand,” Mdluli said.
