Govt keen on ending sugar imports

November 17, 2020

Ghana is finding avenues to raise domestic production of sugar to meet local demand.

The avenues, which include support to sugar manufacturers to produce more and the attraction of foreign direct investments (FDIs) into the business, followed an increase in demand for sugar by local consumers.

In the new National Export Development Strategy (NEDS), a blueprint for harnessing the full potential of the non-traditional export sector (NTE), the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) said majority of those demands had been met with imports, a development it said was inimical to national development.

Data from the Authority show that the country consumes about 370,000 tons of sugar annually although domestic production averages about 250,000 tons.

The imports are estimated to cost the country an average of US$2 million per annum, according to GEPA.

Projected revenues

Read: GEPA holds AfCTA implementation sensitisation programme in Savannah region …

back link building services=0></a></div><p>In the NEDS, projected revenues from the export of sugar by 2029 is US$1,197 billion from about US$20 million in 2020.</p><p>Interventions relating to raise domestic production of sugar include; to refine and re-launch of the sugar policy as a tool to create and sustain domestic markets for locally manufactured sugar; timely development of sugarcane plantations and out-grower schemes to ensure adequate availability of raw materials; and promote Ghanaian manufactured sugar in the sub-regional and other African market.<br/> </p><p><strong>Sugar Policy</strong></p><p>Documents by the Ministry of Trade state the need for the sugar policy is hinged on the increasing stakeholder linkages in industry.</p><p>Consequently, the policy will seek to coordinate and regulate the relationships between different stakeholders, such as growers and millers, and ensure investors of commitment to the necessary publicly provided infrastructures, such as feeder roads, water and electricity access, and funding for crop research institutes and out-grower schemes.</p><p>Ultimately, the policy will provide the enabling infrastructural and institutional environment for a globally competitive private sector sugar industry, to help reduce foreign exchange expenditure on imported sugar.</p><p><em><strong>Keynote</strong></em><br/><strong><em>The Ghana Export Promotion Authority is spearheading the implementation of the National Export Development Strategy (NEDS), which is expected to give a significant boost to Ghana’s export volumes by growing non-traditional exports (NTEs) from US2.8 billion (2020) to US$25.3 billion in 2029.</em></strong></p><div class=inread align=center><ins class=adsbygoogle data-ad-client=ca-pub-1220784161199635 data-ad-slot=7046753112 data-ad-format=auto></ins></div><p><strong><em>An analysis by the NEDS shows there is unmet demand for sugar and that the existence of regional trade agreements such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to facilitate international market access for Ghana’s sugar exports</em></strong></p><p><strong>Sugar production</strong></p><div class='code-block code-block-5' style='margin: 8px 0; clear: both;'> <a href=https://www.adhang.com/guest-posting-services/ ><img class=lazy src=

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