Sugar Prices in Zanzibar More Than Double Official Retail Price to 7,000/- per Kilogramme

TLDR

• A Daily News survey found many shops with little or no sugar stocks, while those with supplies were charging up to 7,000/- per kilogramme, well above the official ceiling of 3,000/-.
• Zanzibar imports more than 90 per cent of its sugar, mainly from India and Brazil, making the islands highly vulnerable to disruptions in global supply chains.
• The government wants us to sell at 3,000/- per kilogramme, but we are buying at much higher prices.
• Traders said the wholesale price of a 50-kilogramme bag had risen from 130,000/- to between 180,000/- and 190,000/-, forcing retailers to raise prices to remain in business.
• Meanwhile, the Zanzibar Fair Competition Commission has warned traders against price manipulation, maintaining that the official retail price remains 3,000/- per kilogramme in Unguja and 3,200/- in Pemba, with violators.