News views were oppressed.
She also said it was naive for some politicians to claim that President Edgar Lungu refused to meet three church mother bodies ' request to seek audience with him at State House.
" We suspect that sugar is being held by retailers and wholesalers. �is is what has frustrated our efforts of achieving the Sh120 that a kilogramme of the commodity should be retailing at," said head of the Sugar Directorate Solomon Odera.
She explained that the church mother bodies sought to see President Lungu at a time he was committed with other visitors, but he was ready to dialogue with anybody.
�e directorate says importers are selling a 50kg bag of sugar at Sh4,800, down from Sh5,800 in April, while locally it is retailing at Sh5,200 on average, from Sh6,000 two months ago.
�is was in response to Chipili independent MP Jewis Chabi who sought an answer as to whether the church leaders were denied access to State House a few weeks ago.
Agriculture and Food Authority director general Alfred Busolo says there is adequate sugar in the country but inefficiencies in the supply chain are making consumers pay more.
�e House also heard that the removal of the 10 percent levy on maize exports would help to make Zambian l grain more competitive on the regional market because many neighbouring countries recorded bumper harvests.
Ms Wina said the move would allow exporters to compete in selling maize in East Africa which was the new market since most countries in the SADC had recorded bumpers harvests.
" �ere is enough sugar in the country, which by now should have stabilised the price to Sh120 per kilogramme. But traders have refused to pass these bene ts to consumers," says Mr Busolo.
Local stocks have fallen to 4,000 tonnes as at �ursday this week and the directorate is enhancing imports to cover for the declining stocks.
�e country requires a total of 9,000 tonnes at its factories at any given time to stabilise the local price.
She said that Government would be looking at exporting the excess 1.8 million tonnes of maize following the bumper harvest recorded this year.
�is was in response to a question by Nakonde PF MP, Yizukanji Siwanzi who wanted to nd out the impact of the removal of the 10 per cent tax.
In response to Sioma independent MP Mbololwa Subulwa, who wanted to know when the Presidential Marketeers ' Empowerment fund would be spread to other areas like Western province, Ms Wina said since it was a revolving fund and the resources would be expanded. By Chila Namaiko
Kenya
Kenya: Price of sugar still high Despite increased imports
Kenyans are paying dearly for sugar despite increased imports into the country aimed at lowering the cost.
�e sector regulator attributes the situation to wholesalers and traders who hoard the commodity.
Close to 200,000 tonnes of sugar have been imported since May this year in a move that has seen both the import price and the ex-factory cost in local mills come down in the past one month. But the bene ts of lower cost is yet to reach the consumers.
�e Sugar Directorate and the Ministry of Agriculture say a kilogramme of sugar should be retailing at a maximum of Sh120. However, it ' s currently selling at an average of Sh180 in most shops.
In a sugar sector report for the month of April, the directorate said the monthly average price( April 2017) was 51 per cent higher compared with the corresponding month in the previous year, owing to high demand against low supply.
Sugar production in the rst four months of the year dropped by 28 per cent compared with the same period last year, subjecting consumers to high prices on reduced supplies in the market. �is pushed a 50kg bag to Sh6,150.
In a report, the sugar directorate says that in the period January to April 2017, production dropped to 172,722 tonnes compared with 238,872 tonnes in the same period last year.
�e directorate notes that sugar production has been decreasing in the past four months and attributes the decline to the prevailing cane shortage in most growing zones.
Low stocks have been linked to drought that affected sugarcane development in most of the growing zones.
Kenya produces 600,000 tonnes of sugar annually. It relies on imports to meet the growing demand that currently stands at 900,000.
�e country is allowed to bring in 300,000 tonnes of duty free sugar every year from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern African countries.
�e directorate had projected a shortage of 1.9 million tonnes of cane by the end of the last nancial year that ended on Friday midnight. By Gerald Andae
May- June 2017 [ 8 ]
FARMERS
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