The Zimbabwe Sugar Association (ZSA) has assuaged concerns about possible sugar shortages resulting from the current drought, which has been exacerbated by El Niño weather conditions.
According to the ZSA, the sugar crop is cultivated under irrigation, and there is sufficient water in dams to sustain production for the next two seasons.
In a statement, ZSA Chairman Willard Zireva clarified that sugar cane is a year-round crop, grown using irrigation methods.
The sugar currently available for sale was harvested from the 2023 milling season. Said Zireva:
The ZSA wishes to advise stakeholders and the general public that there will be adequate sugar supply for both household and industrial consumption despite the current El Nino induced drought that the country has experienced which has affected the harvest expected from the other crops.
As sugar cane 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.
He said the next sugar cane milling season is expected to resume mid-April and millers are currently undertaking regular, off-crop maintenance of sugar mills in readiness for the new season crop whose harvesting is scheduled to start soon.
Zirva reiterated that the industry has more than adequate stocks for the local market’s domestic and industrial use.
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