Minister of Industrialization, Business, Trade and Tourism, George Partridge, on Wednesday, toured Illovo Sugar Malawi Limited’s Nchalo Factory to assess the availability of sugar on the market and gain first-hand insight into the operational challenges facing one of the country’s key economic players.
Speaking after the tour, Partridge said the tour was prompted by the need for government to make informed policy decisions based on the realities on the ground.
“What necessitated this tour was to confirm the availability of sugar in the country. We know Illovo is a big company and it has an impact on the country’s economy, so we came to understand the context in which the company is operating.
“We don’t want to be making policies in a vacuum; we need to understand how they are operating in reality,” Partridge said.
The Minister noted that discussions with Illovo management revealed persistent challenges, including theft and the effects of climate change on production.
“They’ve lamented that theft is affecting them as well as climate change. We have understood the extent of the issue and how they are sorting it out,” he said.
Partridge also addressed concerns around sugar hoarding and smuggling, saying the government was working closely with the company to strengthen distribution systems and enforce licensing requirements.
“In terms of hoarding and smuggling sugar, we have tried to work with them in terms of distributorship to take out distributors who violate their licenses. There was a near monopoly or oligopoly on the distributorship,” he explained.
Illovo Managing Director Ronald Ngwira welcomed the minister’s visit, describing it as timely and constructive.
“We are happy that the Minister visited us and we have discussed with him the issues we face, which include theft and climate change,” Ngwira said.
Ngwira added that the company was also grappling with limited access to foreign exchange at a time when it was undertaking critical maintenance works.
“We are struggling with access to forex exchange. We are in the maintenance season, we are fixing the factory, and that needs a lot of forex,” he said.
On sugar availability, Ngwira assured the public that stocks are sufficient to meet demand in the coming months.
“In terms of stock, we have enough sugar in Nchalo, Dwangwa, Limbe, Lilongwe, and Karonga to cover us up to April,” he said.
The visit forms part of the government’s broader engagement with the private sector aimed at stabilising supply chains, addressing market distortions, and safeguarding key commodities critical to the national economy.