Sugarcane harvest meets demand, but drier conditions threaten early season end

Source: Rufino Uribe via Wikimedia Commons

As of August 17, South Africa’s canegrowers have delivered just over 10.6 million tons of sugarcane to mills, up from 10.59 million tons last year. The quality of the cane has improved by 2%, reaching 11.99%.

This enhanced quality will boost the efficiency of the sugar industry, requiring less cane for production and ensuring a steady supply of locally produced sugar for commercial, industrial, and household use despite a decrease in overall crop volume.

However, this year’s extremely dry weather in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga will potentially bring an early end to the season. Some mills are already expecting to end production as soon as early November, one month ahead of normal closure.

This could potentially leave some growers vulnerable with lower yields across the full season as they could have delivered less cane in total by the end of the season.

Impact on irrigated areas

Drier conditions are especially concerning for growers in Mpumalanga and northern KwaZulu-Natal where crops need extensive irrigation. About 30% of the total sugar production comes from irrigated areas. A large portion of the SA Canegrowers’ 24,000 small-scale growers and 1,200 commercial growers operate in these areas.

Drier weather means they could face restrictions in future when in fact they need to extend their irrigation schedules and given that irrigation systems rely on Eskom-provided electricity, years of steep price increases have had an impact on the already tight margins these growers can achieve for their product.

The recent news of Eskom’s proposed 40% price increases in the works for 2025 and beyond is, therefore, especially concerning and could lead to the increased financial burden that many of these farmers face.

Calls for support

"Small-scale growers who rely on irrigation are especially vulnerable to outrageously high electricity tariff increases. They already operate on thin margins as it is and as such price shocks could push many of them out of business," says Higgins Mdluli, chairman of SA Canegrowers.

Small-scale growers are at the heart of rural economies in South Africa and often provide jobs and income in areas where there are often very few other alternatives.

With threats like electricity hikes and shorter seasons owing to changing weather patterns, SA Canegrowers is calling on the government to do everything it possibly can to help safeguard local jobs through a well-developed and coherent strategy for the sugarcane value chain, including scrapping the sugar tax, and for consumers to support locally produced sugar.

"It is critical that South Africans support local produce. Signing up for our pledge and buying sugar with the Proudly South African logo, or sugar that clearly states that it originates in South Africa, helps support our growers. Doing so helps support the almost one million livelihoods that rely on the local sugar industry," Mdluli says.