Zambia Sugar records 16pc loss in revenue

By NATION REPORTER ZAMBIA Sugar incurred 16 percent loss of revenue after its production went down by about 20,000 tonnes of its sugar market share in 2016/2017 financial year, says managing director Rebecca Katowa.

Ms Katowa explained that the loss had since been reported to government to see how they could come on board and help to improve the situation.

“From our records for 2016/2017 financial year we noticed we had lost about 20,000 tonnes in production, we have not yet put monetary value to it. When we calculated that it resulted into 16 percent revenue loss and that is a huge loss," Me Katowa said.

Speaking during a briefing in Mazabuka, Ms Katowa said the loss was attributed to a number of challenges that the company experienced including diseases and pests that attacked the sugar cane.

"There is need for national strategy to control pests and diseases in growing areas such as the black maize beetle and yellow sugar cane aphids that are destroying huge fields of canes. We need biosecurity in the sugar cane growing," Ms Katowa said.

She was hopeful that government would come on board and help them fight the pests like it had done with army worms.

Ms Katowa said her company was no longer selling sugar to Europe because of the end of the quarter system whose agreement came to an end in 2017.

Ms Katowa said the company now looking for new markets in DR Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya.

Ms Katowa said the biggest challenge the company was the influx of illegal imports sugar of Hullets brand from Zimbabwe into the country, adding that about 40 tonnes came into the country every day.

She feared that smuggling of sugar into Zambia will lead to loss about of about 3,000 for the locals in the next few months if the scourge was not brought to an end.