SA’s sugar industry has called on the government to provide immediate financial relief to players who were hardest hit by the recent unrest that swept through parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July, especially small-scale growers.

The industry has recorded losses of more than R84.5m as a result of the mayhem. The unrest and looting, sparked by the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma, saw shops, warehouses, factories, and malls stripped bare and burnt...