Who is telling lies in Tanzania’s sugar debate between minister Bashe and lawmaker Mpina?

The Committee, chaired by Ally Juma Makoa (Kondoa Urban - CCM), will now have to scrutinize Mr Mpina’s evidence and decide if it was enough to substantiate the fact that Mr Bashe lied to the Parliament and what needs to be done.

“The Parliamentary Privileges, Ethics and Powers Committee should start working on these issues today, Tuesday, June 18, 2024 and submit their report to me on Monday, June 24, 2024,” she said.

Sugar shortages, which result in a spike in prices are not uncommon in Tanzania and the latest one was witnessed in January, 2024.

At that time, wholesalers sold the commodity at between Sh3,800 and Sh4,000 per kilogramme, with retail prices ranging from  Sh4,500 and Sh10,000 per kilomgram.

But in an interesting turn of events, the issue emerged in the Parliament on June 4, 2024 during the debate of the budget estimates for the Ministry of Finance for the fiscal year 2024/25.

In the course of the debate, the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Hussein Bashe, told the Parliament that sugar factories that had been mandated with the task of importing the sweetener to fill the local production gap in the country, failed to undertake the responsibility effectively.

He said it was the failure of sugar processors to effectively fill the local processing gap with the right amount of imports that the country was facing price hikes, reaching up to Sh10,000/kilogram at some point.

But Mr Luhaga Mpina (Kisesa - CCM) stood on a point of order and informed the House that Mr Bashe was speaking lies in the august House.

It was Mr Mpina’s view that the companies have not failed but that the government was not helping them to conduct their duties effectively.

He said the government has failed to effectively cooperate with the companies so they could import the sugar on time, resulting in a rise in sugar prices.

Mr Mpina told the House that he had full evidence of how the Agriculture ministry has failed to cooperate with sugar processing companies so they could import the right amount of the product to fill the deficit.

Working under Order 70 (1, 2, 3) of the Parliamentary Standing Orders, Mr Mpina was required to submit his evidence in support of the fact that Mr Bashe was lying before the Parliament.

The evidence was to reach the Parliament’s Office by June 14, 2024 and Mr Mpina did deliver the evidence within the required time.

However, even before the Speaker had worked on the submitted evidence, Mr Mpina decided to hold a press conference where he explained what he had submitted. Dr Ackson is equally unhappy with this.

“Having been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 2005 and therefore, he is an experienced lawmaker who knows the law, rules and orders governing the Parliament’s business,” she said.

She said it was an open secret that Mr Mpina was acting in contempt of the Parliament and the Speaker when he decided to submit his evidence to the Speaker and proceeded to hold a press conference to reveal the contents of the submitted documents.

“He disrespected the powers of the Speaker. He intervened in Parliamentary proceedings and dishonored the privileges, ethics and powers of the parliament,” said Dr Ackson.

Telling lies

In a document, complete with evidence from a number of government agencies and sugar producers which he circulated on various social networking platforms, Mr Mpina said while debating the budget estimates for the Ministry of Finance for the fiscal year 2024/25, Mr Bashe lied 18 times.

Among the issues, Mr Mpina said Mr Bashe lied when he said that during the 2022/2023 season, Tanzania had a sugar deficit of 60,000 tons and that Kagera Sugar, Mtibwa Sugar, Bagamoyo Sugar and TPC ordered not even

“The approved Gap Sugar for the 2022/2023 season was only 30,000 tons and not 60,000 tons as stated by the Minister of Agriculture. Reference: Letter from the Tanzania Sugar Board with Reference No. SBT/DGO/26-38 dated March 29, 2023, written by the Director of the Sugar Board, Prof. Bengesi, to the Executive Secretary of TCS SADC….,” he said.

Mr Mpina said Mr Bashe lied because, according to what he had gathered, domestic sugar producers and traders imported 6,801 tons into the country. “It is not true that not even a single kilogram entered in the year 2022/2023, as stated by the Minister of Agriculture. Reference: Report of the Controller and Auditor General (Public Entities) for the year 2022/2023…,” said Mr Mpina.

Local manufacturers, he said, were granted permits to import 2,500 tons each, totaling 12,500 tons, with permits issued from May 3, 2023, to June 30, 2023. Consequently, many industries failed to import sugar due to the short duration of the permits, and also because factory production was nearing commencement. “Therefore, it is not true that industrialists were issued permits for 60,000 tons and failed to import sugar,” said Mr Mpina.

He said Mr Bashe was also telling lies when he said the government was changing the regulations with a view to allowing the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) the authority to buy and store sugar

“The truth is that so far, there is no Government Notice (GN) indicating the enactment of new regulations to permit the NFRA to start importing, distributing and selling sugar in the country. These regulations are proposed to be amended through the Finance Act of 2024…,” said Mr Mpina.

He said Mr Bashe’s complaint that they had instructed domestic sugar producers to bring in 50,000 tons by February, yet not even a single kilogram had been imported, was also inaccurate.

“It is not appropriate to complain about sugar not being imported by February when the Minister is aware that permits to import sugar were issued by the Sugar Board between January 4th and 8th, 2024,” said Mr Mpina.

He said each factory was granted permission to import 10,000 tons. “Therefore, it would not have been possible for sugar to have been imported and brought into the country within two weeks, as importing and bringing in sugar from abroad typically takes an average of over 60 to 90 days. Thus, the Minister's complaints were false,” he said, backing his argument with a number of import permits as issued by the government.

Mr Bashe’s statement aside, Mr Mpina said as of May 31, 2024, a total of 49,884 tons have already been imported into the country by sugar producers, based on the 50,000-ton import permits they were granted in January 2024. This sugar has been distributed to various parts of the country.

Mr Mpina said Mr Bashe lied when he said seven sugar factories in the country put the fate of 61 million Tanzanians in their hands, and that after granting them permission to import sugar, not a single kilogram was imported in December, January, or even by the end of January.

“It is not possible to import sugar in December and January when permits for importing sugar for both sugar factories and non-industrial traders were issued by the Sugar Board between January 4 and 30, 2024,” he said adding: “In the 2022/2023 season, sugar factories and traders imported 6,801 tons out of the required 30,000 tons of Gap Sugar. Therefore, it is not true, as stated by the Minister, that companies did not import even one kilogram and the nation lacked sugar because an adequate amount of Gap Sugar did not enter the country. These statements are false”.

Mr Mpina said Mr Bashe’s statement that as of June 4, 2024, the factories had not yet commenced production was not accurate. He said the evidence he has collected shows that Kagera Sugar Factory started production on May 27, 2024, TPC Sugar Factory started production on June 1, 2024, and Kilombero Sugar Factory started production on June 3, 2024.

Mr Bashe, said Mr Mpina, also lied in the Parliament when he said sugar production failed in the country from October, November, December, January, February, and March, which are normal production months….

“Evidence shows that during the months mentioned by the Minister of Agriculture, many factories were producing sugar except during the heavy El Nino rainy months when production decreased. Some factories halted production only in December and January, not for the 8 months claimed by the Minister. Refer to the Tanzania Sugar Producers Association (TSPA) report indicating sugar production in the 2023/2024 season reached 394,829 tons,” he said.

Mr Mpina said Mr Bashe also lied in his statement when he put the average sugar consumption in Tanzania at around 360,000 per year and questioned why the country has authorized an excess of up to 410,000 tons next year.

“Based on evidence from the Sugar Board and Sugar Producers, the sugar demand for the year is estimated at 490,000 tons, translating to monthly demand between 38,000 to 41,000 tons, not the 45,000 tons mentioned by the Minister,” he said