South African sugar producers call for urgent government action to revise tariff benchmarks, as rising imports threaten local jobs and industry stability.
South Africa’s sugar producers have called on the government to urgently gazette a revised Dollar-Based Reference Price (DBRP), while organised labour has backed stronger protection for the industry as rising imports cut local sales and threaten jobs in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
The appeal follows the completion of an International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) review of the tariff mechanism.
However, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) said further steps were required before the outcome could be implemented.
The South African Sugar Association applied to ITAC in October 2024 to have the DBRP increased from $680 to $905 a ton.
