TANZANIA TO IMPORT SUGAR

The East African nation, Tanzania intends to import more than 300,000 tons of sugar this year to end the current shortage of the commodity, a senior official said on Thursday.

Tanzania’s Minister of Agriculture Hussein Bashe said more than 25,000 tons of sugar have now been off-loaded on the port of Dar es Salaam.

Minister, Bashe told the media that the importation of more than 300,000 tons of sugar will be managed by the National Food Agency, hoping that the availability of sugar would improve from next month (March).

However, the Minister criticized the retail traders for increasing the price of the product, warning that the government has launched a strict investigation against those who hide and increase the price of sugar against the government’s recommended price.

The strong warning was issued on Thursday when the Minister of Regional and Local Government, Mohamed Mchengerwa, cautioned traders against concealing sugar, stating that those involved in the malpractice will face legal action.

Tanzania just like Malawi are some of the countries facing shortages of sugar due to poor logistical distribution of the commodity leading to its unstable prices.