Tongaat Hulett reports strong mid-season gains as sugar mills surpass efficiency targets 

SOUTH AFRICA – Tongaat Hulett, which has been under business rescue since 2022, has reported strong operational progress across its South African sugar milling operations at the halfway mark of the 2025 season.  

In a mid-season technical review, the company confirmed that three of its mills—Maidstone, Felixton, and Amatikulu—are exceeding performance expectations following the implementation of a R1.45 billion rehabilitation programme. 

The programme, designed to stabilise and modernise operations, has driven improvements in both mechanical reliability and production efficiency.  

At Maidstone and Felixton, significant reductions in lost production time due to unplanned breakdowns and equipment failures have been recorded. 

Maidstone’s Lost Time Percentage has dropped from 33.5% in 2021 to 12.4% this season, while Felixton’s figure has fallen from 27.1% to 12.9%. These improvements represent some of the best results for mechanical efficiency at the sites in the past five years. 

Although Amatikulu had a slower start to the season, it has demonstrated steady improvement, achieving stronger performance after the first three weeks of operations. 

Production efficiency has also improved across all three mills. Sucrose Extraction and Boiling House Recovery (BHR) figures, which indicate how effectively sugar is recovered during processing, have risen steadily.  

At Maidstone, sucrose extraction has remained consistently above 95%, while BHR has climbed from below 85% in 2021 to nearly 90% this season.  

Amatikulu has followed a similar upward trend, with its BHR improving by almost five percentage points since 2023 and sucrose extraction reaching its highest level in five years. 

Felixton, which experienced a sharp dip in BHR in 2021, has recovered strongly, improving by more than seven percentage points to nearly 90% midway through the 2025 season, while maintaining stable sucrose extraction above 95%. 

The company further noted that Value Recovery (VR%), a key industry benchmark, is either meeting or surpassing the 100% standard at all three mills.  

Achieving VR rates above 100% indicates that more sugar is being extracted from the cane than the industry’s baseline value, reflecting strong technical efficiency and maximised returns for both the business and its growers. 

At Tongaat Hulett’s central refinery, similar operational improvements are being recorded. Sugar yields have increased due to reduced sucrose loss during the melting and purification process, while mechanical uptime has also improved, signalling enhanced reliability. 

CEO Gavin Dalgleish stated that the company’s teams remain focused on efficiency, adding that consistent investments in infrastructure, skills, and process optimisation have produced measurable results for growers, customers, and the wider industry. 

Tongaat Hulett confirmed it is on track to fully implement its business rescue plan and is preparing to finalise its asset sale agreement with Vision Sugar. 

Sign up HERE to receive our email newsletters with the latest news and insights from Africa and around the world, and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.