Browsing: sugar

There are increasingly more and more ‘outbreaks’ of non-communicable diseases in Africa and more so in sub-Saharan Africa.

These lifestyle ailments are ironically a symbol of increasing income among the population. As more and more African countries rise from low-income to middle-income status, statistics show a correlation with the rising number of people suffering from non-communicable diseases.

The reason is simple; when you rise in income, people do not increase their eating of the vitamin-rich greens they used to eat when they could not afford unhealthy but yet prestigious red meat; no, they change their diet to gabble up the ‘rich man’ foods, unwittingly damaging their health.

A local paper puts it into perspective; ‘People’s eating habits are shifting from food rich in starchy staples, vegetables and fruits to a more westernized diet high in sugar, saturated fats and oils’ the recipe for non-communicable diseases.

The troubling fact is that …

• Uganda to resume sugar imports into Tanzania
• Kenya is yet to allow the proposed import of 90000 tonnes of Ugandan sugar
• Investigation missions pry into a source of Ugandan sugar

Tanzania will now import sugar and anti-retroviral (ARVs) drugs from Uganda after President Samia Suluhu managed to iron out over three years of trade creases between the two countries.

After the agreement, the two countries released a joint communiqué in which they published the trade agreement details. According to the executive communication, Uganda will now supply up to 10,000 tonnes of sugar to Tanzania every year.

This is a major turn of events from zero to 10000 tonnes which finally ends Tanzania’s 2019 ban on Uganda sugar. Before the 2019 ban on Uganda sugar imports into Tanzania, Uganda was exporting into Tanzania in excess of 20000 tonnes.

During the ban, Tanzanian officials had argued that the sugar that Uganda was …