Sugarcane Production, Processing and Marketing in Tanzania

Abstract

Sugarcane is one of the important food and commercial crops of Tanzania. Its production is concentrated mainly in three regions, Morogoro, Kagera and Kilimanjaro. Most of the sugar produced in the country is for home consumption and only a small proportion is exported to service foreign debts. This paper briefly reviews the agronomic, production and marketing aspects of sugarcane in Tanzania, with special emphasis on the factors associated with variation in production during the past ten years. During the 1983/84 season, the country produced slightly over 130, 000 tons of processed sugar, but 1988/89 production had dropped to just about 96, 000 tons. During the 1990's (1991/92-1993/94), production increased in response to the trade liberalization policy of the country. To increase and sustain the country's future sugar pruduction, improved soil management of sugarcane fields, irrigation technology and the use of improved clones need to be introduced. The current marketing and handling structure in the sugar industry requires reform in order to increase efficiency and reduce storage overheads paid by the consumers.