TANZANIA will no longer import sugar but export surplus sweetener by 2027, the government has announced.

Dr Selemani Jafo, Minister for Industry and Trade, made the affirmation at the weekend in Bagamoyo District, Coast Region, when visiting Bagamoyo Sugar factory which sits on 10,000 hectares of land.

Dr Jafo said that with the state of sugar production and factories that are being built in various places, by 2027 the country will be self-sufficient in sugar.

"Our consumption per year is 800,000 tonnes and by 2027 we will produce that capacity and surplus. So, we will no longer have a reason to import sugar from abroad; we will be selling it to those who have a sugar gap," said Jafo.

He said he had already visited the Kilimanjaro Sugar factory that produces an average of 120,000 tonnes of sugar per year.

Jafo said  Bagamoyo Sugar factory which produces 80,000 tonnes per year will increase production to 100,000 tonnes after expansion.

“Kagera sugar produces between 130,000 to 150,000 tonnes, Kilombero produces 131,000 tonnes and they are conducting expansion to produce 270,000 tonnes," he said.

"So if you combine all these tonnes by 2027, if there are no disasters, that means we will not have a shortage of sugar and we will have no reason to import sugar." 

He said the government will continue to protect the factories to ensure that they continue to perform well and produce a lot of sugar that will meet the needs of the country and sell surplus abroad.

Minister Jafo said the government owns shares in some sugar factories, so it must focus on providing them with a good environment so that they can continue to produce sugar in abundance.

Hussein Sufiani, Bakhresa Group Company Public Relations Director, , said the factory has the capacity to process 1,500 tonnes of sugar cane per day and its construction was completed in 2022.

He said the factory is expected to produce 30,000 tonnes of sugar in the first phase and when all phases of the project are completed, it will have the capacity to produce 100,000 tons of sugar annually.