Illovo Sugar Malawi has partnered with the Ministry of Trade and security agencies to smoke out traders who are illegally exporting sugar to neighbouring countries, putting pressure on the availability of sugar on the local market.

Acting Managing Director for Illovo Sugar, Kondwani Msimuko, says the company has established that 1-kilogram packets of Illovo Sugar have dominated the cross-border markets in neighbouring countries such as Zambia.

Msimuko says since September, the company has sold to the domestic market over 141 thousand metric tonnes of sugar, which is enough to stabilise sugar availability in Malawi.

He adds the company has exported eight thousand metric tonnes of the commodity in the same period, which is a decline compared to over 100,000 metric tonnes which they were exporting five years ago.

"Our main focus is now the local market as evidenced by the number of exports and those we have supplied to the local market. We are just surprised with the increase in the demand for sugar, but all this is because of illegal exportation of the commodity," said Msimuko.

However, the Executive Director for the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) says the sugar shortage is man-made.

"This shows lack of seriousness among those assigned to secure our borders. imagine how many commodities we have lost as a country due to porous borders. the Ministry of Homeland Security needs to be serious," said Namiwa.

He then accused the government of allowing Illovo company to export Sugar before calling off the arrangement temporarily on Tuesday . 

"The government deliberately gave permission to the company to export Sugar just because it needed forex at the expense of Malawians, now it has backfired," he added.

Currentry, Sugar is being sold at K6000.00 per one kilogramme packet.