The sugar producing business is cyclical by nature, as illustrated by the impact of a drought on the recent results from Tongaat Hulett and Illovo Sugar, the giants of the local industry. Both companies have worked hard in recent years to diversify their businesses, including into downstream operations such as ethanol and furfural production, electricity co-generation and, in the case of Tongaat, starch operations and property development. Dirk van Vlaanderen gives input into this feature piece.
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