Kilombero starts sugar production after maintenance
Kilombero Sugar Company Limited managing director Mr Guy Williams (right) discuss something with staffs. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Kilombero Sugar produces around 130,000 tonnes of sugar annually from approximately 1.25 million tonnes of sugar cane, 55 percent of which is cultivated by the company and 45 percent by out growers.
Dar es Salaam. Kilombero Sugar Company Limited has begun its production season for the 2022/23 a week earlier than the anticipated start date after an expedited factory maintenance. The firm said the early start of the season aims at supporting the government efforts to ensure supply of sugar in the country.
The company planned to start the production in the new season in the last week of May, but the work resumed on May 17, according to a statement e-mailed yesterday.
“Our teams have worked hard to ensure the factory resumes operations within the set time frame. We are proud to announce that we are ready to launch operations one week ahead of schedule,” the company head of corporate affairs Ephraim Mafuru stated.
The launch of the season was marked with a ceremony known as the “first burn” to mark the start of cane harvesting. Various company officials, representatives from the growers and religious institutions attended the ceremony.
“As a company we have various strategies to ensure steady supply of this important commodity. Having an early start of the production season is a major step. The company is currently constructing a new sugar factory which is expected to be completed by June 2024 and will double the company’s sugar processing capacity and contribute significantly to the country being sugar self-sufficient,” added Mr Mafuru.
Kilombero Sugar produces around 130,000 tonnes of sugar annually from approximately 1.25 million tonnes of sugar cane, 55 percent of which is cultivated by the company and 45 percent by out growers.
The company in which Illovo Sugar Africa holds 75 percent of the shareholding and the government 25 percent is preparing for its expansion project that will double the company’s sugar processing capacity and reduce sugar shortages in the country.
Tanzania’s sugar production was estimated at 370,000 tonnes per year while the demand is estimated at 585,000 tonnes.
The government targets to increase sugar production to 700,000 tonnes by 2025.
