Dr. Muhammad Kadwa, president of the South African Sugar Technologists’ Association (Sasta), stated that the sugar sector must maintain its focus on diversification in the face of various challenges.
He made the remarks while speaking during the Sasta congress this week. Kadwa remarked that although some sugar industries have already diversified in other countries globally, others, like in South Africa, needed to consider doing so to maintain relevance in the respective sectors.
During the congress, the Sasta Council welcomed Professor Narendra Mohan (Former Director of National Sugar Institute), an expert who has played a crucial role in the diversification of India’s sugar industry. Mohan, with four decades of experience in the Indian sugar sector, has been instrumental in the diversification of the Indian sugar industry, which now produces biochemicals, various bioproducts, and bioenergy. Additionally, he contributed to the development of technologies for producing graphene oxide, vanillin, cosmetic ingredients, biochar, and dietary fiber from bagasse.
Sasta President said that South Africa can learn a lot from Mohan and India’s diversification journey. He noted that the government policies and interventions that helped the Indian industry expand into bagasse, molasses, filter cake, and sugar juice, combined with innovative thinking, are crucial lessons that the local industry could learn from.
Kadwa pointed to challenges faced by the local industry, which include the depressed global sugar price, the impact of the health promotion levy, or sugar tax, and continued uncertainty around Tongaat Hulett’s business rescue process. He emphasised the fact that there was a need to act now and went ahead to say, “We don’t want to be left behind, and fortunately, a significant amount of research has already been conducted. Although discussions on diversification have been ongoing for over a decade, it might now be the right time for our industry to take concrete steps, especially in influencing the new Government of National Unity (GNU).”
