FILE PHOTO | NMG
Sugar imports in the first five months of the year rose 21 percent compared to a similar period in 2019 even as local production slightly increased in the past two months.
According to the Sugar Directorate, imports between January and May stood at 207,814 tonnes against 172,213 tonnes last year.
“Sugar imported in January–May 2020 amounted to184,677 tonnes against 150,302 tonnes in the same period last year, a 21 percent increase, attributed to high table sugar imports in the review period to bridge the local deficit,” said the directorate.
In the review period, table sugar imports stood at 157,593 tonnes while industrial /refined sweetener was at 100,815 tonnes.
Total sugar sales in the review period were 243,083 tonnes compared with 210,015 tonnes last year.
