Ideas & Debate

EDITORIAL: Stop protecting sugar sector

sugar

Uganda wants to sell to Kenya up to 90,000 tonnes. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Kenya’s proposal to import sugar from Uganda is a welcome move even if it will likely have some impact on local producers.

For one, the State should end the trend of asking for safeguards, which has been the case for years.

Uganda wants to sell to Kenya up to 90,000 tonnes, up from the usual 30,000 because it has produced more than it needs.

Given that Kenya does not produce enough, it should import, especially from an East African Community neighbour.

The local sugar sector has been completely unable to put its house in order to the extent that even last year, it asked for safeguards for up to next February. It should certainly not go beyond that.

Too much protection will probably keep the local producers uncompetitive for a longer period.

The progress towards privatising the sugar factories to enable them to do business commercially is yet to take place.

Perhaps, allowing sugar imports and forgetting about the safeguards will wake up the industry from its slumber.

It is, therefore, time to accept Uganda and other imported sugar with open hands and let local producers learn to be competitive.