# Economists warn that South Africa’s sugar industry is under mounting pressure from cheap imports, mill closures and rising costs. More than one-million people depend on the sector, supporting around 270-thousand direct and indirect jobs. Oxford Economics economist Jee-A van der Linde says Tongaat Hulett narrowly avoided liquidation after receiving state-backed financial support, while other producers remain under strain. She says despite the government raising sugar import tariffs, cane growers want deeper reforms, including action on imports, electricity, rail services and delayed biofuel and power-generation plans.
Economists warn South Africa’s sugar industry faces growing crisis