Kenya has been granted a 2- year extension of sugar safeguards that will see the country enjoy protection from influx of sugar imports from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region, during this year’s meeting in Lusaka, Zambia.
The country’s authorized sugar safe guards were exhausted in 2012, and was later given 2 more years in 2016 which ended in February this year.
The push for the extension bid was led by Foreign Affairs Chief Administrative Secretary Ababu Namwamba who says it is a very good for Kenya as this will ring fences on our sugar sub-sector from indiscriminate sugar dumping.
“It has been a tough battle to get this two-year extension. We superbly articulated our position and it was adopted in a win-win situation for Kenya and the rest of the COMESA fraternity. I’m very pleased,” Ababu said.
The COMESA treaty allows for safe guard measures to be effected to domestic industries shielding then from international competition until they are mature and competitive enough.
Far from other previous extensions, a joint committee was formed to oversee implementation of the safeguards and report back to the COMESA bloc on the progress.
Kenya produces about 600,000 tonnes of sugar a year against an annual consumption of 870,000 tonnes, where the deficit is covered by controlled imports from the COMESA. Annual sugar consumption in the country is estimated at 900,000 metric tonnes. Kenya allows a maximum of 350,000 metric tonnes of sugar from the region
