Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) Deputy Minister Zuko Godlimpi, alongside the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Nokuzola Capa, will on Friday lead the Grower Imbizo with sugarcane farmers in Mpumalanga.
The interactive stakeholder dialogue will be held at the Holiness Union Church Centre in Mzinti, Nkomazi, in collaboration with the South African Sugar Association (SASA).
Prior to the dialogue, the two deputy ministers will visit sugarcane farms in the Malalane and Nkomazi areas to assess farming conditions firsthand.
The Mpumalanga event follows a successful dialogue held in KwaZulu-Natal last month, where hundreds of sugarcane farmers gathered to discuss the pressing issues and challenges impacting the sustainability of sugarcane farming.
The sugarcane industry operates primarily in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, with over 26 000 farmers collectively, who form the backbone of rural economies in these provinces.
“Sugarcane growers are an important component of the sugar value chain, and a critical stakeholder that government should always take along in the implementation of the Sugarcane Value Chain Master Plan to 2030.
“The Master Plan is a signed partnership agreement, with representation from the two grower associations, namely the South African Farmers Development Association and the South African Cane Growers’ Association.
“As was the case in KwaZulu-Natal last month, we will be using the Mpumalanga dialogue to provide sugarcane growers with an update on the implementation of the Master Plan, as well as engage them on the key challenges currently facing the industry, with a view to finding long-lasting solutions,” Godlimpi said.
The Master Plan was adopted by all stakeholders in April 2026 and seeks to transition the sugar sector from recovery to long-term sustainability.
It also aims to broaden the industry through product diversification into areas such as bioethanol for fuel blending, sustainable aviation fuel, bioplastics and cogeneration.
Discussions at the Mpumalanga dialogue will include preparation for the upcoming growing season, particularly considering possible El Niño impacts, addressing skills and capacity gaps, sustaining grower operations, and potential support measures.
Godlimpi highlighted some of government’s recent interventions for the industry.
“The dialogue comes soon after government has announced an intervention by providing tariff relief for the sugar industry, raising the Dollar-Based Reference Price from US 680 to US 785 per tonne and the import duty from R4.83 to R6.97 per kilogram, to protect the sector against cheap imports.
“In August last year, we issued block exemptions to facilitate the implementation of Phase 2 of the Master Plan for the industry, allowing sugarcane farmers, millers, commercial food and beverage producers, and retailers to collaborate for the express purpose of progressing the Master Plan, without transgressing the competition law,” Godlimpi said.
Capa said engagements with the industry will assist government to identifying gaps affecting growers and agree on practical interventions, including improvements to access to finance, infrastructure, extension services, technical support, inputs and markets.
“It will also be an opportunity to highlight successful projects, partnerships and interventions that are already implemented under the Master Plan, demonstrating tangible results and impact on the ground,” Capa stated.
The sugarcane sector, together with milling operations, supports at least 65 000 direct jobs and 270 000 indirect jobs, sustaining over a million livelihoods mainly in the rural and economically challenged areas of KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. – SAnews.gov.za
Source: Original report at SAnews.gov.za.
