Industry stakeholders have affirmed that the drought associated with the El Nino phenomenon will not affect the Zimbabwe sugar supply, assuring consumers.
The Zimbabwe Sugar Association (ZSA), representing millers, has stated that there are ample sugar stocks from the previous milling season, sufficient to sustain supply until March 2025.
V.W. Zireva, Chairman of ZSA, issued a statement ensuring stakeholders and the public of continued sugar availability without disruptions in the supply chain. He highlighted that despite the current El Nino-induced drought impacting other crops, the sugar supply remains stable.
Zireva explained, “As sugarcane is a twelve-month crop grown under irrigation in Zimbabwe, the sugar that is currently on sale was produced from sugar cane crops harvested during the last milling season which ended in December 2023. Due to the good rainfall received in the last agriculture season, the major dams that supply water for sugar cane irrigation in the Lowveld have sufficient water to last the next two seasons.”
Anticipating the commencement of the next sugar cane milling season in mid-April, Zireva noted that millers are presently engaged in routine maintenance of sugar mills to prepare for the upcoming crop harvest.
“The industry maintains surplus stocks to meet both domestic and industrial demand in the local market,” reiterated Zireva, emphasizing the sector’s readiness to sustain supply without compromise.
