BusinessLive reports that Parliament’s trade and industry portfolio committee has called on trade and industry minister Rob Davies and other cabinet ministers to immediately intervene in whatever way possible to address the crisis in the sugar industry.  

The industry has been hit with cheap imports and the health promotion levy (sugary beverages tax), which has lowered the volume of sugar used by soft drink manufacturers.  It has also been affected by a severe drought in KwaZulu-Natal over the past three years.  The committee agreed to call for a ministerial intervention during a meeting on Tuesday, rejecting a counter proposal by Democratic Alliance (DA) trade and industry spokesperson Dean Macpherson that a joint meeting be held with the departments of agriculture and rural development to address the crisis.  DA chief whip John Steenhuisen observed in a statement:  “When the sugar tax was first mooted, industry experts warned that this would lead to job losses.  So far, 1,000 jobs have already been lost in the sector and this figure is steadily climbing.”  Trade and industry director-general Lionel October agreed at the committee meeting that the industry was in a crisis.

• Read the full original of Linda Ensor’s report on the above at BusinessLive

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