User:MellonDor/zsug

Zambia Sugar Plc based in Mazabuka, Southern Province, Zambia is the largest sugar producer in Zambia. The company is listed on the Lusaka Stock Exchange (symbol: ZSUG) with 82% of the shares held by Illovo Sugar Limited of South Africa (a subsidiary of Associated British Foods) and the balance by institutional and private shareholders in Zambia.

Zambia Sugar Plc owns and operates the Nakambala Sugar Estate, the largest sugar operation in Zambia

History
The Nakambala Sugar Estate was founded in 1964 by Tate & Lyle Ltd on the south east edge of the Kafue Flats at Mazabuka. By 1968 the estate was growing sugar cane on 1,680 hectares using irrigation water from the Kafue River and the sugar mill which had been moved from Tate & Lyle's failed sugar operation at Chirundu. By 1976 the estate was producing 68,000 tonnes of sugar from 6,650 hectares and by 1983 production had risen to over 90,000 tonnes of refined sugar from 9,000 hectares under cultivation.

Development of the Nakambala estate was funded by Tate & Lyle in conjunction with the Zambian Government through the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). In 1973 the Zambia Sugar Company Ltd, which operated the estate, was nationalised and IDC came to hold 51% of the shares in the company with Tate and Lyle being retained as managers. By 1984 the company was 80% owned by IDC and 11% by Tate & Lyle with the balance being held by private investors.

In 1994 Zambia Sugar Company Ltd was repurchased by Tate & Lyle along with the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) as part of the ongoing Zambian privatisation program. In 1996 the company floated on the Lusaka Stock Exchange becoming Zambia Sugar Plc.

In 2001 Tate and Lyle sold its interest in Zambia Sugar Plc to Illovo who then held 89% of the company. By this time production was 209,000 tonnes of sugar.

Between 2007 and 2010 the company implemented a major expansion program and increased the area in production from 11,000 hectares to nearly 17,000 hectares and by 2010 production reached 385,000 tonnes.

Current Operation
In 2013-14 the company produced nearly 400,000 tonnes of refined sugar from 3.15 million tonnes of raw sugar cane of which 1.86 million tonnes was form the company's own fields and 1.29 million tonnes was from out-growers including 273,000 tonnes from small-scale farmers.

The company employs 1,950 permanent staff and an average of 4,300 staff through the year including seasonal workers.

Controversy
In 2013 a report published by ActionAid claimed that Zambia Sugar had paid less than 0.5% of its $123m pre-tax profits in corporation tax between 2007 and 2012. The report claimed that Zambia Sugar's ultimate parent Associated British Foods has used tax avoidance structures to deprive Zambia of a sum 14 times larger than the UK aid provided to the country to combat hunger and food insecurity.