SUGAR
Ailing sugar industry needs policy sweetener against bitter dumping pill
The impending introduction of a tax on sugary beverages on April 1 has focused attention on the effect it will have on the sugar industry and highlighted the fact that sugar cane as an agricultural commodity has enormous potential outside its use in food and drink. The industry’s potential to contribute to the economy and job creation is significant. The sugar industry is vital, strategic and labour intensive. It is a major contributor to the national economy and a major employer. Through diversification it has the potential to vastly expand its agricultural footprint, significantly increase its economic impact and create thousands of new jobs. But instead of expanding and reaching its full potential, the industry is shrinking and is at great risk primarily because of two factors: • The global oversupply of sugar from the more than 100 sugar-producing countries; and • The slow uptake of national policies that would enable the sugar industry to diversify, creating new markets for sug...
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