ALL AGRI #Sugar Supply

While this recovery in yield is welcome news, the industry’s economic outlook remains under serious threat due to delays in adjusting South Africa’s import tariff, the flood of cheap imports into the country and the looming 30% tariff from the United States on South African sugar exports. The delay in adjusting our own sugar import tariff to reflect current global realities is undermining the competitiveness of local producers.

South African sugar farmers are facing mounting pressure from both international tariffs and low-cost imports, forcing some to make difficult decisions about staffing and production. For many small-scale producers, the combination of these challenges threatens livelihoods and local employment. A worker inspects harvested sugarcane at Nkosinathi Msweli's farm in KwaDukuza, a rural region on South Africa's eastern coast, August 26, 2025.