The damage on Sugar industry in South Africa

The South African Sugar Association has completed its damage assessment and costs analysis following the unrest in July when arsonists set fire to cane fields. Thus far, 135 222 tons of sugar cane, valued at R85million (US$5,85m), has been rejected by sugar mills, with 38 000tons of this belonging to small-scale producers. The industry is concerned that they may not recover from these losses due to small-scale producers not being insured. Both government and the sugar industry are looking into mechanisms to support these farmers.