This is why Tanzania's sugar crisis persists

Dar es Salaam. The government yesterday sought to explain the prolonged nationwide shortage of sugar, saying companies permitted to import the sweetener were not directly ship-ping the product into the country.
“The challenge is that the ships that were to bring the sugar into the country are not doing so, and are instead transfer-ring it to other vessels, thereby reducing the pace at which sugar gets into the country,” Agriculture minister Japhet Hasunga told Parliament.
Requesting the House to endorse a total of Sh229.84 billion for his docket for the 2019/20 financial year, Mr Hasunga said with ships carrying sugar not docking at Tanzania’s ports, the sweetener was being transported in smaller vessels which are only able to bring it in small portions, contrary to expectations.
“From May 10 to date, a total of 4,000 tonnes have arrived in the country. Some 21,000 tonnes are currently on their way, and should arrive this month,” Mr Hasunga said.
His remarks came when a kilogramme of sugar was retailing in Dar es Salaam and in other urban centres for between Sh3,500 and Sh4,500.In Dar es Salaam, some retailers moved from one wholesale shop to another in search of the product.
Sugar scarcity worsened in Dar es Salaam last week when the authorities launched a crackdown on retailers selling the product above the Sh2,600 ceiling set by the government.
Mr Hasunga said yesterday that more 500 tonnes were awaiting clearance at the Kasumulu border post between Tanzania and Malawi.
“Actual sugar demand in Tanzania per month is around 35,000 tonnes. When we issued permits for the importation of 40,000 tonnes of sugar, we did so in the hope that local factories would start producing this month.
Unfortunately, the rains are still falling, and it is only one factory that has shown signs that it will start producing later this month,” he said, adding that the sugar that had been imported so far was enough to offset a serious shortage.
“I’m asking my colleagues in the government to ensure that they supervise the distribution of sugar across the country,” he said.Importers shared similar sentiments, saying the shortage was a result of a decision by some ship-ping lines to cancel trips to Dar es Salaam.
This, they said, was because most of the countries where imported sugar came from were under lock-downs, thus affecting delivery of the product.

“With Covid-19, shipping firms from some countries decided to cancel their trips, and this is what caused the delays,” Kilombero Sugar commercial director Fimbo Butallah told The Citizen yesterday.
TPC Limited sales and marketing director Allen Maro said sugar imported by the company was currently being offloaded at Dar es Salaam Port, but declined to state how long it would take for the consignment to enter the market.He noted, however, that the situ-ation would normalise 'very soon'.
“Despite all the challenges encountered so far, the good news is that by June 17 our factory will resume operations, and sugar will be available in bulk,”Mr Maro said.