Kudos on Uganda sugar

Tanzania has allowed imports of sugar produced in Uganda after a year of locking the commodity out. The decision follows a visit by Agriculture minister Japhet Hasunga to Uganda to study the country’s production capacity.

Tanzania was not the only country to block sugar from Uganda. Kenya blocked sugar from Uganda in the past. The worry had always been that the sugar coming to Uganda is “dumped.” Meaning that the sugar could most probably be imported from other countries, repackaged and then exported to other East African Community countries with zero tariff, enjoying the rights and benefits of the Common Market. But the Tanzanian government’s decision to allow sugar from Uganda is an indication that Mr Hasunga’s tour confirmed beyond doubts that the sugar is really produced from that country.

We commend Tanzania for allowing the entry of Uganda’s sugar into Tanzania, which has an annual deficit of about 90,000 metric tonnes. Most of this deficit is usually filled with cheap imports from overseas. But in the spirit of integration and if the Common Market is to be meaningful EAC countries need to trade with one another. There is no point of importing sugar from thousands of miles away while there is ample sugar next door. We hope that EAC government will continue priorities commodities that are readily available within the region.