Ethiopia is going to end importing sugar by the end of this Ethiopian year as new sugar factories that have begun testing production will become fully operational, according to Ethiopian Sugar Corporation.

Zemedkun Tekle, Corporate Communication Directorate Director at the Corporation told Walta Information Center that the Corporation is working to meet local sugar demand and cease its dependence on imported sugar.

The Director explained, the expansion works undertaken on Wonji, Metehara and Fincha have doubled the country’s sugar production capacity.

Wonji and Fincha Sugar Factories’ daily sugar production are 7,500 and 11,500 quintals respectively, according to Zemedkun. Yet, their installed production capacity is 10 thousand and 12 thousand quintals per day. Metehara Sugar Factory’s yearly sugar production capacity is 130 thousand quintals, he added.

Tendaho I, Kessem and Arjo-Dedessa sugar factories have 8 thousand, 10 thousand and 13 thousand quintals per day installed production capacity respectively, according to Zemedkun.

Ethiopia’s current annual sugar demand is estimated to be more than 650 thousand tons. 400 thousand tons are produced locally and the remaining amount is imported, the data obtained from the Corporation states.

Source: Walta Information Center