Experts push to end chronic sugar shortage in EA

Arusha. East African states must develop strategies to step up sugar production so as to forestall a recurrent shortages that have forced the region to be a perpetual importer of the essential commodity.

The combined shortage of sugar for Tanzania and Kenya alone is about 360,000 tonnes, a senior official of the East African Community (EAC) revealed here on Friday.

Currently, Tanzania’s sugar demand stands at 480,000 tonnes per annum, while production is 320,000 tonnes. Kenya’s sugar demand amounts to 700,000 tonnes against the production of 500,000 tonnes.

Contacted by The Citizen yesterday, minister for Industry, Trade and Marketing, Dr Cyril Chami, said the government has resolved to allow the importation of sugar as a way of dealing with the current shortages.

“The sugar board is in the process of allowing the importation of 40,000 tonnes of sugar at a reduced tariff rates,” Dr Chami said.
Speaking at the official launch of the East African Society of Sugar Cane Technologists (EASSCT) in Arusha on Friday, Mr Mosses Marwa, the head of agriculture and food security unit at the EAC secretariat, warned that the situation was serious and the government should act immediately.

“The shortfall in these two East African countries alone is about 360,000 tonnes and this is being imported from outside the region,” he said.

The society aims to improve capabilities that are needed to increase sugar production in the region.

He said the current production of sugar in the region was low when compared to the demand which is on the increase, posing a big challenge to all stakeholders in the sugar industry including EASSCT.

“The challenge before us is to evolve appropriate and which will enable the EAC member countries to be self-sufficient in sugar through efficient increase in and sugar production,” he said.

He said it was time now for the five EAC partner states – Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda – to develop a commercially viable and sustainable sugar industry in the region.

He noted that production technologists should look into formulating a good sugar marketing strategy that would facilitate efficient network and professional packaging to suit customer demand and affordability.

EASSCT chairman, Fred Oketch Jonam, said the idea to form the body came up due to the realisation that provision of better sugar technologies was necessary in order to make the region self-sufficient.

“In an effort to meet these challenges, EASSCT will make deliberate efforts to promote sugar technology development,” he said, adding that

the society would continuously encourage benchmarking and borrowing of best practices.

“We will encourage continuous research and extension to prepare and equip the technologists with requisite skills and knowledge to make
them regionally and globally competitive,” Mr Jonam stated.

The society is a regional organisation geared to serve the member states and, according to him, it will cooperate and collaborate with the five countries to promote the industry organisers.

source: thecitizen.co.tz