The government has fixed a minimum price of US$72.40 a tonne for sugar cane that private growers sell to millers, ending months of uncertainty over what Lowveld farmers would be paid this season.

The figure is set out in the Sugar Production Control (Notification of Sugar Cane Purchase Price) Regulations, 2026, issued by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce under the Sugar Production Control Act, NewsDay reported. Positive Eye News said the rules were published as Statutory Instrument 174 in the Government Gazette on 30 October and take effect immediately.

What the new rules say

According to Positive Eye News, the regulations set one uniform price for cane delivered by private growers and override existing contract terms between growers and millers.

Millers must also pay for cane delivered in any month on or before the eighth day of the following month, unless both sides agree otherwise in writing.

Anyone who breaks the rules faces a fine of up to level five, up to six months in prison, or both. Where a company is at fault, directors, managers or principal officers who knowingly took part can be held personally liable, Positive Eye News reported.

HararePost quoted a Ministry statement saying the price was set after consultations with the Agriculture Minister and the Zimbabwe Sugar Association. "It provides a clear pricing framework and ensures that growers have certainty regarding the value of their produce," the Ministry said. It added that timely payment "is an important aspect of maintaining confidence and stability within the sugar value chain." Positive Eye News said the Zimbabwe Sugar Association welcomed the regulations.

The row behind the price

The new price comes after a dispute that overshadowed the 2026 milling season. In May, The Herald reported that outgrowers from Hippo Valley, Triangle and Mkwasine had asked the government to step in after Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe, which runs the Lowveld mills, offered a provisional price of US$61.83 a tonne, down from US$71 last season.

Growers said their costs had jumped. Their letter to Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka, as reported by The Herald, said a 50kg bag of urea had risen from US$31 to US$45 and diesel from US$1.14 to US$2.07 a litre. Farmers also objected to a suspension of deliveries under the Cane Purchase Agreement system while talks stalled.

Tongaat Hulett said at the time that it would buy cane at the provisional price until the Industry and Commerce Minister made a final decision, and that any approved adjustment would be backdated. None of the reports on the new regulations says how payments already made this season will be treated.

Why it matters

The Lowveld mills were expected to crush more than 3.7 million tonnes of cane this season and produce about 450,000 tonnes of sugar, according to the industry site sugar.co.zw. Thousands of outgrowers depend on them, and cane loses value quickly if it is not milled in time.

A fixed floor of US$72.40 is slightly above last season's US$71 and well above the US$61.83 provisional offer. The payment deadline also gives growers a fixed date by which millers must pay them. Zimbo Grapevine has not yet seen a response from Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe to the regulations.

Sources: NewsDay, 1 Nov 2026: https://newsday.co.zw/article/gvt-sets-minimum-sugar-cane-purchase-price · Positive Eye News, 30 Oct 2026: https://positiveeyenews.co.zw/2026/10/30/government-sets-sugar-cane-price-at-usd72-40-per-tonne-enforces-strict-payment-rules/ · HararePost, 30 Oct 2026 (Ministry statement quotes; 403 to direct fetch, text via search index): https://hararepost.com/2026/10/30/gvt-sets-minimum-sugar-cane-purchase-price/ · The Herald, May 2026 (background): https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/tongaat-hulett-in-new-sugar-wars-as-lowveld-farmers-cry-foul-over-price-cuts/ · The Herald, May 2026 (background): https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/farmers-tongaat-hulett-in-new-cane-price-row/ · sugar.co.zw (background, 2026 season): https://sugar.co.zw/news/2026-milling-season-clop/

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