Parliament recently engaged in a heated debate on the proposed amendments to the International Sugar Agreement (ISA) of 1992, with legislators warning of potential burdens for Zimbabwe’s farmers and economy, while the government urged MPs to embrace the reforms as a path to productivity, trade and international cooperation.
The ISA, first adopted in 1992, regulates the global sugar trade and now covers 88 member states, representing 86 percent of world production and 67 percent of consumption.
The current reforms extend the agreement beyond sugar to include sweeteners, bioenergy and ethanol, a move that could reshape the way developing countries like Zimbabwe participate in the global sugar economy.
MPs were wary of deepening dependence on global markets versus government officials eager to expand Zimbabwe’s footprint in them, with legislators arguing that without safeguards, reforms could place disproportionate costs on developing nations, undermine smallholder growers, and expose Zimbabwe to global corporate interests.
MP Mutsa Murombedzi voiced caution over the reforms, warning that widening the ISA’s scope to cover ethanol and bioenergy may divert land from food crops toward corporate-driven fuel markets.
“Let us be clear that such opportunities can also become traps…smallholder out-growers will suffer while multinational corporations reap the benefits,” she said, urging that “government must therefore negotiate protections that put farmers first and corporations second.”
Another sticking point was the proposed new budget formula under Article 25, which links contributions to exports, imports, production, consumption and an “Ability to Pay Factor.”
Murombedzi argued that while the formula appears fair, it risks penalising developing nations.
“Zimbabwe must insist that ability to pay cannot mean ability to punish. Contributions must remain proportional, not burdensome,” she said.
On research and information sharing (Articles 32 to 34), MPs stressed the need for Zimbabwe to build its own statistical capacity rather than rely on data produced abroad. Without independent research, they argued, the country would remain a price taker in international negotiations.
The legislators raised concerns about monopolies in the global sugar trade, with Clemence Chiduwa cautioning that cooperation must not be allowed to create cartel-like dominance by major producers.
“… we discovered that as a country, we have a surplus in sugar, of around 97 000 tonnes, meaning to say Zimbabwe as a country, we are a net exporter of sugar but sometimes we fail to export that surplus because we do not know where the markets are and by acceding to this amendment, this is going to assist us in terms of accessing the markets,” he said.
“What we may need to be worried about is, we do not want a situation where, when this agreement is signed, we have the International Sugar Agreement, people are working together and then we end up with a global monopoly on sugar.”
While acknowledging the potential for innovation, Chiduwa underlined the risks of inequality, warning that reforms could entrench the dominance of large economies while marginalising smaller producers.
“What is needed is to make sure that in as much as there is going to be collaboration, we should not create monopolies because monopolies will not be good for consumers,” he said.
In response, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Sheillah Chikomo, defended the reforms as an opportunity for Zimbabwe to strengthen its standing in the global sugar economy.
She stressed that competition, while uneven, could drive efficiency and open markets for Zimbabwe’s surplus sugar.
“Sometimes competition yields quality, and sometimes competition gives us a platform on the global market that can help drive efficiency,” she said.
The deputy minister argued Zimbabwe’s land reform programme has already diversified ownership in the sugar industry, allowing black farmers to participate in a sector once reserved for a few.
With ISA reforms, she said, those farmers could benefit from exposure to new varieties, pest management strategies, drought-resistant hybrids and global research networks.
She also linked the ISA to broader government priorities such as value addition and employment. “What can we do for our farmers to match the uneven playing grounds? How can this agreement then help in making sure that it increases employment? The more we have the Hippo Valleys, the Tongaat Hullets, so many of the companies having such production, it means even our people get to have jobs, which looks into the supply and demand,” she told Parliament.
Chikomo highlighted additional benefits, including access to international funding opportunities, capacity building, and stronger data transparency.
Zimbabwe’s membership, she said, gives it a voice in global decision-making.
“It does not mean our light is going to be dimmed but it means that we are at par with the discussions that are being held on different discussions on international sugar. Therefore, there is a need for us to now boost our competitiveness. There is a need for us to increase productivity. There is a need for us to look on a brighter side of this issue where it stimulates local production when we look into the future,” she said.
“Our markets, our products have wider markets to export to. Capacity building, we have access to the common fund which I have mentioned earlier. When we produce more, we employ more. There are quite a number of advantages to being able to consider this international sugar agreement.”
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