The sugar industry is a diverse industry combining the agricultural activities of sugarcane cultivation with the manufacture of raw, very high polarised (VHP) and refined sugar, low glycaemic index (GI) sugar, other specialized sugars and molasses. The total area under sugarcane is approximately 60 000 hectares, with some expansions underway. On average, the industry produces over 5,5 million tons of sugarcane per season, from which it extracts about 770 000 tons of sucrose to produce over 650 000 tons of sugar. This production scenario speaks directly to the high efficiency of sugar production in Eswatini. Eswatini has continuously retained its top-10 position amongst low-cost sugar producers in the world.Â
The cane growing sector comprises approximately 450 registered sugarcane growers farming predominantly in the lowveld, and some farming operations around Malkerns. The number of smallholder growers, mostly on Eswatini Nation Land, has grown considerably since the 1990s. Sugar is manufactured by 3 mills operating in these cane growing regions.
