•
Zimbabwe
to
make
Sugar
Association
the
industry
regulator
under
a
revised
Sugar
Act
•
Aims
to
boost
coordination,
protect
local
market,
and
modernize
the
value
chain
•
A
10-year
plan
is
in
development
to
tackle
production
challenges
The
Herald,
a
local
daily,
reported
this
on
Wednesday,
July
16,
citing
Obert
Jiri,
permanent
secretary
at
the
Ministry
of
Lands,
Agriculture,
Fisheries,
Water
and
Rural
Development.
Jiri
stated
that
the
government
has
initiated
a
review
of
the
law
governing
the
sugar
sector
for
this
purpose.
“The
Sugar
Act
is
currently
under
review
to
align
it
with
modern
agricultural
economic
and
environmental
standards,”
Jiri
explained.
He
added
that
the
process
is
in
its
early
stages,
with
legal
teams
collaborating
to
identify
improvements
to
the
current
Sugar
Act,
which
he
noted
“is
more
inclined
towards
the
processing
side.”
This
initiative
by
Zimbabwean
authorities
aims
to
better
structure
the
entire
sugar
value
chain,
from
production
to
marketing.
It
also
seeks
to
facilitate
coordination
between
large
industrial
players
and
small
producers.
Furthermore,
the
new
regulator
will
be
crucial
in
shielding
the
domestic
industry
from
foreign
competition
by
supporting
trade
policies
designed
to
preserve
the
local
market.
The
move
holds
significant
strategic
importance
as
the
Southern
African
nation
is
self-sufficient
in
sugar.
Official
data
shows
Zimbabwe’s
domestic
sugar
production
reached
439,000
tons
in
the
2024/2025
period.
Meanwhile,
consumption
averaged
nearly
380,000
tonnes
per
year
over
the
past
three
years,
according
to
figures
compiled
by
the
U.S.
Department
of
Agriculture
(USDA).
However,
observers
note
that
the
local
industry
faces
several
challenges
to
sustain
its
growth.
These
include
high
production
costs,
issues
with
the
availability
and
access
to
inputs
and
labor,
and
the
need
for
improved
access
to
sugarcane
cuttings
to
boost
raw
material
output.
In
response,
the
Ministry
of
Agriculture
has
started
developing
a
ten-year
plan
for
the
sugar
sector.
“Recently,
we
also
met
with
the
sugar
people
to
understand
their
concerns,”
Jiri
said.
“What
we
ended
up
saying
is,
let’s
have
a
10-year
strategic
plan
whose
consultations
are
currently
underway
to
ensure
that
all
the
players
in
the
sugar
industry
are
involved.”