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Zimbabwe has enough sugar for the domestic market, and even has surplus to export, despite shortages experienced in the country, a sugar industry expert said on Thursday.
Zimbabwe Sugar Association Experiment Station senior agriculture and industrial research chemist Dr Washington Mutatu said the public must not panic over any temporary shortage since there was enough sugar cane ready for harvest.
“I think currently we are producing enough sugar cane to produce sugar which should be able to supply our domestic market and for export. So consumers should not be worried about the availability of sugar, it’s actually available,” he said.
Exports were not going to be stripping the local market since Zimbabwean sugar was uncompetitive because of the high production costs of electricity, water, fertiliser and labour.
“Our cost of production is very high, so as scientists we have to investigate ways and methods of reducing the cost of production,” said Dr Mutatu.
He wanted to see sugar producers diversity into manufacture of more sugar by-products to improve their revenue streams. Some of the by-products of sugar are ethanol, fuels and molasses. – Ziana.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu