Tanzania: Why Sugar Output Is Set to Rise By 33 Per Cent

Dar es Salaam — Sugar production in Tanzania is expected to rise by about 33 percent in four years following the approval of six new sugarcane varieties. The country currently produces about 470,000 tonnes of sugar annually, but the government is optimistic that production will jump to 700,000 tonnes by the 2024/25 farming season. The government also expects that the sharp rise in sugarcane production will go hand in hand with increased investment in processing capacity. This is the first time Tanzania has approved its own sugarcane varieties. The approval of the new varieties was made in January this year. It came at a time when sugar factories at Kagera, Bagamoyo, Kilombero, Mukulazi I and II were undergoing expansion. The director of crop development in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Nyasebwa Chimagu, told The Citizen yesterday that following the approval of the varieties, new sugarcane farming projects were being implemented in Ruvuma and Kigoma regions. "In order to boost ...