

Mumba at Salima Sugar yesterday for the launch of production season
* Government not responding to sugar scarcity crisis with punitive measures—Trade Minister Mumba
* We are restructuring the entire value chain to make it more accountable, inclusive and transparent
By Fostina Mkandawire, MANA
Minister of Trade & Industry, Vitumbiko Mumba has announced comprehensive reform plans to overhaul Malawi’s sugar industry, aiming to address persistent shortages, stabilise prices and promote local participation in distribution.

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The reforms include prioritising local empowerment in sugar distribution, enforcing price regulation through a proposed Essential Goods and Services Bill, and mandating that all sugar distribution trucks be escorted by both trade officials and police officers to prevent illicit stockpiling.
“We are not just responding to the crisis with punitive measures,” said Mumba yesterday at the launch of the 2025 sugar production season at Salima Sugar Company.
“We are restructuring the entire value chain to make it more accountable, inclusive and transparent,” said Mumba when he unveiled the new measures, which targeting not only illicit stockpiling but also issues of production, distribution and pricing.

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The key policy shift will see priority given to indigenous Malawians in the licensing of sugar distributors and Mumba said “foreign investors have not shown commitment to long-term investment in this country — it is time local communities benefit directly”.
The Minister also disclosed that vending of sugar might be temporarily banned until supply stabilises, pending consultations with the Ministry of Local Government, Unity & Culture.

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Salima Sugar Company executive chairman, Wester Kosamu reported that the company expects to release 22,000 metric tons of sugar into the market this year — “however, financial constraints have limited operations to just 1,500 of the company’s 6,000 hectares of arable land”.
To further boost supply, government will issue sugar import licenses targeting countries like Brazil and Egypt. In parallel, all sugar producers have been instructed to submit detailed lists of their licensed distributors.