Nairobi: Kenya is planning to increase domestic sugar output to reduce the dependence on imports, said a government official.
Speaking in a virtual meeting, Lawrence Karanja, chief administrative secretary of the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development said that the country is facing the challenge of the high cost of sugar production as compared to regional and international producers.
He was speaking during the launch of the Sugar Sub-Sector Strategic Plan by the Kenya Association of Manufacturers. He said that the high prices of domestic sugar make the country an attractive destination for imports.
As per the data from the agriculture ministry, the country produces about 660,000 tons of sugar per year and imports 300,000 tonnes of sugar from other African countries to meet the domestic demand.
