Govt warns against hoarding sugar

Malawi’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has warned traders against hoarding sugar or selling it above the official price of K221 for a kilogramme of brown sugar and K225 for white sugar.

The ministry issued the warning in a statement released on Thursday that government will take measures against people hoarding or selling sugar on conditional basis or above the recommended prices.

“The ministry will take all measures within the law against those hoarding sugar or selling sugar on conditional basis or at above the recommended prices,” reads the statement.

But in an interview on Thursday, Secretary of Trade and Industry Newby Kumwembe could not spell out the penalties for those hoarding or selling sugar on conditions.

Some shops in the country are selling sugar to only customers who buy other items worth over K1 000 ($5).

Kumwembe is however optimistic that the situation will normalise when Illovo Malawi factories at Dwangwa in Nkhotakota and Nchalo in Chikhwawa open.

The country is also importing sugar from Zambia to arrest the problem.

Malawi faces an acute shortage of sugar which led some unscrupulous traders to raise the price of the commodity from K221 (about $1.31) or K225 (about $1.34) to K500 ($2.99).