EDITORIAL: End the sugar menace
The East African Community (EAC) member states must forge a united front in fighting rampant sugar smuggling. President John Magufuli could not have put it any better when he explained that the problem was causing havoc among EAC member states – something that should not be condoned. The President was addressing a press conference at State House on Thursday after holding talks with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni.
Dr Magufuli and Mr Museveni met as Uganda and Tanzania are engaged in a sugar war that has seen Dar denying market access to sugar from Uganda claiming it is imported from Kenya. Tanzania slapped a 25 per cent import duty on sugar from Uganda, which Kampala says is in violation of the zero rate recommendation of the EAC rules of origin and the Common Market Protocol.
Interestingly, before the Uganda-Tanzania row, there was confusion in Kenya just a little over a month after the country’s interior minister said harmful levels of mercury had been found in sugar consignments seized in police raids. Tanzania moved to ban sugar imports from Kenya amid health concerns. In a nutshell, the surest way to address this problem is to work together as a community to end smuggling.
Joint commissions, as President Magufuli suggested, need to be proactive. Officials must meet regularly to assess and review strategies to end the smuggling crisis, and avoid disputes.
