Zambia Sugar says posts African record in sugar production

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Zambia Sugar, a unit of South Africa's Illovo Sugar, said on Thursday it had posted record production of 424,024 tonnes during the milling season which ended in December. "This is the highest-ever tonnage produced by a single sugar factory on the African continent in any given season," the company said in a statement. It said this topped its previous production record from three years ago of 404,000 tonnes. Illovo is Africa's top sugar producer and its Zambian unit accounted for 31 percent of its operating profit in the six months to the end of September last year. Illovo's share price was 0.12 percent lower at 1145 GMT, underperforming a 0.77 percent rise in Johannesburg's All-share index.