Burundi is set to open a window for importing sugar and cement to meet a shortfall that has created a black market where prices have shot up.
This was revealed through a Cabinet statement released Wednesday following a Council of Ministers meeting in Gitega last week.
“There are discrepancies between the reference prices and the actual prices on the market,” the Cabinet said, adding that efforts to enforce official prices have been in vain.
State-owned producers have also been seeking a price review, particularly beer maker Brarudi and cement manufacturer Buceco since 2021, for reasons including soaring raw materials and transport costs.
“Given the production capacities of these companies, it is not clear that these products will be available even after the price increase,” the Cabinet noted.
The government noted that State-run Sosumo’s sugar and Buceco’s cement were insufficient and approved “other operators with sufficient financial capacity a gateway to import these products.”
