Story by Gay Matambo
THE sugarcane cropping season is now in full swing, with farmers in the Lowveld optimistic of producing the best quality.
Following seasons of unpredictable weather, the positive seasonal outlook has renewed spirits across the sugarcane-growing region.
“During the past seasons, due to shortages of irrigation water, cane in some parts of Chiredzi did not do well, such that this year we expect high yields because of the normal to above normal rainfall patterns,” a sugarcane outgrower said.
“In Mkwasine, cane was not growing well due to water shortages. Levels of water in Siya Dam were in a dire state and good rains mean dams will be full to capacity and we will have enough water for irrigation,” another added.
With sugarcane now officially designated as a strategic crop, a move that underscores its importance to the national economy, sugarcane outgrowers believe targeted financial assistance, as well as the provision of subsidised inputs is essential to maximising the coming season’s potential.
“Despite that sugarcane is a strategic crop, we are not yet fully benefitting from that initiative and we are appealing to government to intervene, that way, we will be able to increase productivity,” Zimbabwe Sugar Development Association Chairman, Ms Bernadette Chipembere noted.
“Despite the issue of inputs, we hope the miller is going consider crushing cane on time because in the past season, we witnessed a situation whereby cane was crushed after more than 24 hours. This compromises the quality of sugar and the revenue that the farmer should get,” Chairman of the Zimbabwe Commercial Sugarcane Farmers Association, Mr Ralph Sakupwanya added.
This year, the sugar industry produced close to 450 000 tonnes of sugar, up from around 440 000 tonnes produced last year.
“Despite being 24 days shorter than the 2024 season, the 2025 season delivered exceptional results crushing more cane and producing more sugar. Key drivers for this season included improved cane deliveries, higher crushing rates and excellent plant availability. The season highlights were the cane crushed, which was 3.65 million tonnes, up from 3.63 million tonnes in 2024,” Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe’s Industry and Corporate Affairs Executive, Dr Dahlia Garwe
“White sugar production was particularly impressive with 41 400 tonnes produced, up from 34 000 tonnes in 2024, which is above the 40,000-tonne budget that we set for ourselves. What is more interesting was the power export, where we were able to export 14 684 megawatt hours into the grid, which is triple the 5000 megawatt hours budget we had.”
Meanwhile, government in consultation with sugar industry stakeholders, are in the process of developing a 10-year Sugar Industry Development Strategy 2026-2035, which is meant to transform and grow the sector.
