It is reported by News Ghana.

Charles Tizeba, the Minister for Agriculture, said 60,539,35 tonnes of sugar out of the consignment will arrive in the country next week, adding that the remaining 9,815 tonnes of the commodity will be imported in June. «The sugar to be imported plus the sugar stored in warehouses will fill the deficit», — said Tizeba.

He said the country’s demand for domestic sugar was 485,000 tonnes for domestic use and 145,000 tonnes for industrial use annually.

In May last year, Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa announced the importation of 131,000 tonnes of sugar to fill existing shortfall. Majaliwa told the National Assembly that there was sugar deficit of 100,000 tonnes annually caused by poor production of the commodity.

He said only 320,000 tonnes of sugar were being produced by four local manufacturers annually against the east African nation’s annual demand of 420,000 tonnes.

In February this year, the Sugar Board of Tanzania said the country planned to increase sugar production from the current 300,000 tonnes annually to 420,000 tonnes by 2020-2022.

Tanzania’s four sugar manufacturing factories are TPC in Kilimanjaro region, Kagera Sugar Limited in Kagera region, Mtibwa Sugar Limited and Kilombero Sugar Company in Morogoro region. Enditem