SA Canegrowers

21/10/2026

A successful sugarcane harvest doesn't end in the field!

Once harvested, sugarcane needs to make its way to the mill. But poor rural road conditions are making this essential journey increasingly challenging for growers and transporters.

Damaged roads and unreliable infrastructure add further pressure during an already demanding harvest season, affecting the movement of sugarcane from farms to mills.

💚 Reliable rural roads are vital to supporting agricultural operations, connecting rural communities and keeping South Africa's sugar industry moving forward.

🇿🇦 Supporting our growers also means supporting the infrastructure they rely on!

👉 Read and share Kwanalu post to help raise awareness about the importance of reliable rural roads for South African agriculture.

Through Kwanalu’s rural roads campaign, members and communities are identifying deteriorating routes across the province and describing how those conditions affect their areas.

That on-the-ground input matters. It helps Kwanalu identify recurring concerns, understand where problems are being experienced and strengthen the information supporting our engagement on rural infrastructure.

Add your area to the picture. Tell us which rural road needs attention and where it is located.

Department of Transport KZN Department of Transport

19/10/2026

🌾 South Africa’s sugarcane growers need relief – and scrapping the sugar tax is a critical step.

SA Canegrowers is calling on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to scrap the Health Promotion Levy (HPL), commonly known as the sugar tax, in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement.

🇿🇦 Representing 27,000 small-scale and 1,250 large-scale growers, SA Canegrowers is advocating for an industry already under immense pressure from heavily subsidised sugar imports, ongoing trade challenges and the uncertainty surrounding Tongaat Hulett.

📊 According to a NEDLAC-commissioned study, the sugar tax cost the industry more than 16,000 jobs in its first year alone.

While government has taken welcome steps to support the industry, the sugar tax continues to undermine efforts to protect growers, sustain rural livelihoods and build a stronger future for local sugar production.

💚 Removing the levy would give growers much-needed breathing room while the industry explores new opportunities in bioethanol and sustainable aviation fuel.

📢 It's time to back our growers and protect the future of South African sugar.

👉 Read more: https://sacanegrowers.co.za/2026/10/19/sa-canegrowers-calls-on-treasury-to-scrap-the-sugar-tax/

19/10/2026

🇿🇦 From South African sugarcane fields to your shopping trolley, choosing local sugar starts with one simple step: check the label.

Look for wording such as “Produced in South Africa”, “Product of South Africa” or “Origin: South Africa”, or the Proudly South African logo.

Your choice can help support the South African growers and communities behind our local sugar industry. 🌱

Take the pledge to support local sugar: https://saveoursugar.org.za

16/10/2026

The latest Recoverable Value Price has been declared. For more details, click here: https://sacanegrowers.co.za/rv-price/

16/10/2026

🚛🌱 A successful sugarcane harvest depends on more than what happens in the field!

Once sugarcane is harvested, the next important step is getting it safely and efficiently to the mill. But for many growers, poor rural road conditions make this journey increasingly challenging.

Damaged roads and unreliable infrastructure place additional pressure on growers and transporters, making an already demanding harvest season even more difficult.

💚 Reliable rural roads are essential to keeping our sugarcane-growing communities connected, supporting agricultural operations and ensuring our industry can keep moving forward.

Because supporting our growers means supporting the infrastructure they depend on, too! 🇿🇦

👉 Read and share Kwanalu post to help raise awareness about the importance of reliable rural roads for South African agriculture.

A deteriorating rural road does not only make a journey more difficult. For farmers, poor road conditions can mean additional wear on vehicles and machinery, slower journeys and greater difficulty moving people, inputs and agricultural products where they need to go.

Across KZN, farmers continue to identify rural roads where deterioration is affecting everyday farming operations and the communities that depend on these routes.

These roads are economic infrastructure. Their condition matters.

Tell us which rural road is affecting your farm or community. Comment with the road name or number and location so Kwanalu can continue building the on-the-ground picture behind our advocacy.

KZN Department of Transport Department of Transport

16/10/2026

SA Canegrowers’ Agricultural Specialist and Economic Research Manager Ikageng Maluleke and CEO Dr Thomas Funke attended the AgriSA Congress 2026, held under the theme “The Path is Clear.” 🇿🇦

The congress brought together agricultural leaders for important conversations about the future of farming in South Africa. Highlights included an insightful panel discussion with Wandile Sihlobo and Lourensa Eckard, as well as an address by Minister of Agriculture Willie Aucamp, who shared government’s plans for the sector.

🌾 For SA Canegrowers, being part of these discussions is an opportunity to ensure that the voices and interests of sugarcane growers are heard as we work towards a stronger, more sustainable agricultural industry.

👏 A huge congratulations to our very own Dr Muhammad Kadwa, who heads up Industry Affairs at SA Canegrowers, on his election as Vice Chairperson of the AgriSA Commodities Chamber!

This is a proud moment for SACG and an important opportunity to strengthen grower representation at a national level, helping ensure that the challenges and priorities of our sugarcane industry remain part of the broader agricultural conversation. 💚

Together, let's keep building a stronger future for South African agriculture! 🇿🇦

14/10/2026

🌱 Could industrial h**p become another diversification opportunity for South African agriculture?

At the African Industrial H**p Fibre Processing for Commercialisation Conference 2026, discussions highlighted growing demand for sustainable raw materials, the shift towards bio-based industries and potential applications for h**p across fibre, construction, textiles and bioplastics.

For sugarcane growers, the conversation is particularly relevant as the industry continues exploring opportunities for diversification and resilience.

Industrial h**p isn’t a silver bullet - but it is a crop worth understanding. 💚

Follow SA Canegrowers as we unpack what we learned from the conference.

**p

13/10/2026

⛽ Every petrol price increase is a reminder of just how vulnerable South Africa is to global oil shocks. But what if part of the solution was growing right here at home? 🌱🇿🇦

SA Canegrowers CEO, Thomas Funke explains how sugarcane-based bioethanol could help reduce our reliance on imported fuel, create new opportunities for local growers and support thousands of rural jobs.

Studies presented to Parliament estimate that South Africa could produce up to 750 million litres of ethanol from sugar feedstocks annually, potentially creating around 21 000 jobs through the expansion of cane farming.

The opportunity is there. What’s needed now is investment, infrastructure and the implementation of the Sugarcane Value Chain Master Plan.

💚 Our sugarcane industry has the potential to do more than produce sugar. It could help fuel South Africa’s future.

Read more: https://sacanegrowers.co.za/2026/10/13/every-petrol-price-shock-strengthens-the-case-for-sugarcane-biofuels/

October 13, 2026 By Dr Thomas Funke, CEO, SA Canegrowers After the recent increases, diesel and petrol prices are in […]

12/10/2026

🌱 More sugarcane varieties, more opportunities for growers!

Many South African sugarcane growers rely on older varieties, such as N12, simply because they have limited information about newer alternatives.

To help change this, 12 different sugarcane varieties have been planted on a demonstration plot in Umbumbulu, KwaZulu-Natal, through a collaboration between the local Mill Cane Committee (MCC) and the South African Sugarcane Research Institute (SASRI). 🌾

The aim? To give growers a closer look at alternative varieties, helping them make more informed decisions about what to plant.

💚 Let's build a stronger, more informed sugarcane industry, together!

12/10/2026

🌾 Behind every bag of local sugar are South African growers, farmworkers, families and rural communities.

Supporting them can start with one simple habit: check the label before you buy. 🇿🇦
Choose sugar marked “produced in/product of SA”, “Origin: SA” or carrying the Proudly SA logo.

Small choice. Local impact. 💚 Take the pledge to support local sugar: https://saveoursugar.org.za