Delegates attending the annual World Association of Beet and Cane Growers (WABCG) conference in Cairns Australia this week raised their glasses (cans) to the world’s first energy drink made from raw sugarcane juice – Shesha™.
SA Canegrowers’ representatives, CEO, Dr Thomas Funke and Board Members, Mark Schulze and Heinrich Eggers, introduced the landmark energy drink to the meeting underlining the South African industry’s commitment to diversification as a key strategy to secure the future sustainability of the domestic sector.
The South African sugar industry is under threat from the government’s crippling sugar tax introduced in 2018. The tax or Health Promotions Levy (HPL) is levied on beverages with more than 4 grams of sugar per 100ml, at a rate of 2.1 cents per gram of sugar exceeding that threshold. According to industry stats the tax cost the sector 16 000 jobs and R2 billion in revenue in its first year of introduction.
A further and more recent threat is an increase in cheap imported sugar due to low import protection by the South African government.
Dr Funke said the energy drink – which was launched last year – was well received at the Australia meeting.
Discussions at the three-day conference held in Cairns in the far North of Queensland, Australia, prioritised trade conditions, the climate crisis, bioenergy and the future of farming. Australia’s Canegrowers’ Chairman, Owen Menkens said the conference was an opportunity to put the region’s sugar industry in the global spotlight. “The conference brings together grower representatives, policymakers and industry experts from around the world to tackle the big issues facing sugarcane and sugar beet producers,” Menkens said.
The WABCG represents beet and sugarcane growers from 34 countries.