Tanzania targets 40 pct increase in sugar production

Tanzanian sugar authorities said on Thursday that the east African nation planned to increase sugar production from the current 300,000 tonnes annually to 420,000 tonnes by 2020/2021.

Henry Semwaza, Director General of Sugar Board of Tanzania, said the government has directed sugar factories in the east African country to increase production of the commodity.

Semwaza was speaking at a meeting that brought together stakeholders in the sugar industry held in Morogoro region, home to two major sugar industries.

"We want our sugar factories to expand and construct new industries in order to increase production to at least to 420,000 tonnes by 2020/2021," he said.

Semwaza added: "Owners of sugar factories will be required to support small-scale sugarcane growers in order to increase production."

Tanzania is a sugar deficit country, with four large factories producing about 300,000 tonnes of raw sugar annually, leaving a shortfall of 220,000 tonnes that is met by imports.

Currently, there are four sugar factories in Tanzania, including Kilombero, TPC, Mtibwa and Kagera with a total of 31,000 hectares under plantation management. Combined production reaches about 2.1 million tonnes, with an average yield of approximately 68 tonnes per hectare.

Three of the four factories have cane outgrowers with a total of 27,000 hectares producing about 710,000 tonnes of cane, at an average yield of about 27 tonnes per hectare. Endit