Investment over the last five years in the resuscitation of the Mozambican sugar industry, valued at about 800 million dollars, has seen production skyrocket from 90,000 to 450,000 tons a year at the present time.
The sugar sector was one of those most affected by the recent armed conflict in Mozambique and is currently one of the most important to the economy as a whole, exporting an average of about 240,000 tons of sugar annually.
The executive director of the Association of Sugar Producers of Mozambique, João Jeque, says that this is a result of investment in Mozambique’s four sugar factories: Marromeu and Mafambisse in the central province of Sofala, and Maragra and Xinavane in Maputo.
Jeque added that, in addition to the increase in exports, the sector also has an inmportant social dimension, employing more than 200,000 workers.
Last year, sugar supplemented with vitamin A was produced for the first time.
But for economist Eduardo Sengo, one of the sector’s biggest challenges is to become more competitive, “because any company in the world is worried about competitiveness”.
“What we have to do as a country is to encourage this competitiveness. No company in the world is interested in spending more and earning little. Being competitive means producing at low cost and with quality, and getting our produce out into the market.”-COM
