Sugar cane growers gear up for milling season

Tongaat Hulett mills to reopen this week and next week as local growers prepare to deliver sugar cane for 2026/27 season

May 19, 2026

Gugu Myeni 2 minutes read

Local mills to open this week and next week

Local sugar cane growers are gearing up for the 2026/27 milling season.

This as the Felixton, Amatikulu and Maidstone mills, which serve 18 000 sugar cane growers, are expected to restart operations in the coming days.

Felixton is expected to reopen on Wednesday, while the Amatikulu and Maidstone mills will resume operations on 27 and 28 May respectively.

The SA Canegrowers Association has reported a good start to the milling season for growers in other regions, noting that 48% more raw sugar cane has already been delivered to the mills by growers when compared with the same period last year.

“We hope growers supplying the Tongaat Hulett mills, which are beginning the season later than other growing regions, will be able to have a productive and successful season despite the uncertainty surrounding the company,” said SA Canegrowers chairperson Higgins Mdluli.

Tongaat Hulett’s (THL) court application for provisional liquidation is expected to be heard in the High Court next month.

Liquidation attempts were put on pause last month following a government funding agreement to support THL’s ongoing operations until mid-year.

The KwaZulu-Natal High Court granted an adjournment of the provisional liquidation application, with the matter set down for hearing on 17 and 18 June.

SA Canegrowers has, however, commended the industry, which continues to show ‘remarkable resilience even under extremely difficult conditions’.

They also continue to express concern about the high level of imported sugar entering the local market.

“We urge both the Industrial Development Corporation and the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa to prioritise the sustainability of the local sugar industry,” said Mdluli.

“Entire rural communities in KZN and Mpumalanga depend on sugar cane farming for jobs and economic activity, and the industry supports more than a million livelihoods across the value chain.

“Despite ongoing challenges, growers continue to demonstrate that South Africa can produce sufficient, cost-competitive sugar to meet local demand.

“We hope the industry’s significant contribution to food security, rural development and the national economy will continue to receive the protection and policy attention it deserves.”

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