East African sugarcane project launched

A $ 4.1m project aimed to increase cane sugar production in East Africa has been launched with a call to involve more small scale growers. The multi-million dollar project would be supervised by the International Sugar Organisation (ISO) and be executed in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania with dissemination activities expected to other sugar producing countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Sugar Board of Tanzania will be the executing agency of the project financed by the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) through a $2,358,540 grant, of which $ 1m will be provided from the contribution of the OPEC Fund to CFC. Under it, cane production in the East African Community partner states would be improved through introduction of new seed varieties to be imported and found to be suitable for the soil and climate conditions of East Africa.

Officials of the three countries said if the the expansion of cane production is realised, East African Community sugar output could increase by between 150,000 and 200,000 tonnes in the next five years. Annual sugar production in EA at present is about 940,000 tonnes while demand is estimated at 1.2 million tonnes a year. About 60 per cent of about 280,000 tonnes imported each year in the last five years is destined for Kenya.

According to the project report, the main expansion in the cane area and sugar production will take place in Uganda and Tanzania. In Tanzania the immediate expansion is expected at Mtibwa and Dakawa sugar estates in Morogoro region.

"Uganda's planned expansion in its cane area is likely to be driven almost entirely by new cane plantings among the outgrower community and is expected to boost the outgrower cane area from 18,500 hectares to around 30,500 ha to represent a 54 per cent of the total area under cane", the report added.

Under the project, measures are to be initiated to increase cane productivity ultimately improving industry performance, lower production costs and hence raise incomes among outgrowers, now estimated at 100,000 in the entire region. To achieve this, the three partner states in the Community will collaborate in identifying new superior cane varieties for commercial release "in the shortest possible time" so as to secure yield improvements similar to those recorded in India, Australia, Mauritius and South Africa year back. Most of the commercial cane varieties in EA which were developed prior to the 1970s are 20 per cent less productive amid yield losses due to the effects of pests and diseases.

Launching the project, Tanzania's minister for Agriculture, Stephen Wassira, said it was a pity that East African states continue to be net importers of sugar while the region has a big potential to increase output. He also decried the high cost of sugar production, saying it will negatively impact on the region's competitiveness in sugar trade and that the high production costs would continue to dog sustainable development and survival of the industry.

"Failure to compete effectively in the regional and local market place in a liberalised market environment will certainly have serious consequences to the development and survival of our sugar industry" he said. According to him, high ex-factory prices of sugar have reduced the cost-competitiveness of Eeast African Community sugar. Other factors which have plagued the industry include sugarcane pests which have reduced cane yield and quality. "This is also as a result of use of poor quality seed cane which is harvested from infected cane fields, particularly among small scale growers," Wassira said.

The Monitor