By Wezzie Gausi:
The Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts (Pac) Tuesday questioned the Ministry of Trade and Industry over the continued scarcity of sugar in the country.
This comes as prices of the commodity have risen by between 53 and 105 percent reaching up to K4,000 per one kilogramme due to persistent shortage of the commodity on the market.
Speaking on Tuesday after meeting the ministry’s officials at Parliament Building in Lilongwe, Pac Chairperson Mark Botomani told the officials how reluctant they were to address the issue.
He said it is a cause for worry to have two sugar manufacturing companies operating in the country but without stock for citizens.
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“This shows how the ministry is sleeping on its job in making sure that Malawians have access to sugar without challenges. Of course the ministry has explained that from December to April there is always a scenario of sugar scarcity but this year the issue has escalated.
“The ministry has also given us an assurance that from this month going forward, people will see the difference in the availability of sugar on the market,” Botomani said.
Secretary for Trade and Industry Christina Zakeyu warned all traders against hoarding sugar for higher prices.
She said the scarcity of sugar was expected but some traders contributed by hiding the commodity.
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“We are now in season where Salima Sugar and Illovo Sugar Company are both producing sugar. We are certain that the situation will now stabilise. And we already gave licences to companies so that they are able to bring sugar in the country,” Zakeyu said.
Minister of Trade and Industry Sosten Gwengwe recently commissioned the 2024 sugar production season with a glaring call to Salima Sugar Company to increase production from 26, 000 metric tons of sugar to 100, 000 metric tons of the production.
