Mpumalanga sugarcane growers are due to meet government on Friday, 30 October, with access to finance, farm support and the industry’s diversification plans on the agenda.

Deputy ministers Zuko Godlimpi of Trade, Industry and Competition and Nokuzola Capa of Agriculture are scheduled to lead the dialogue at 11:00 at the Holiness Union Church Centre in Mzinti, Nkomazi. Their departments are organising it with the South African Sugar Association.

Farm visits in Malalane and Nkomazi were scheduled for Thursday, 29 October. The dtic’s announcement sets out the programme; it does not report completed visits or agreed interventions.

Financing farm businesses

The meeting follows a separate grower-finance workshop in Durban on 26 October. In a statement issued the following day, the dtic said Godlimpi had called for better coordination of existing funding and mechanisms allowing smaller growers to seek finance collectively.

He also identified insurance gaps and the need to help growers become ready for funding. Those proposals were for further consideration, not an announced funding award.

Diversification remains a goal

Friday’s agenda includes growing-season readiness, skills and operational sustainability. The discussions will also address the Sugarcane Value Chain Master Plan to 2030. Its second phase, adopted in April 2026, targets diversification into products such as bioethanol and bioplastics.

The stakes extend beyond individual farms. SAnews reports that cane growing and milling support at least 65,000 direct jobs and 270,000 indirect jobs. These are sector-wide figures, not jobs promised by Friday’s meeting.

Also read: SA agricultural exports grow 10% in Q2 2026, says Agbiz.

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