Cameroon government cracks down on illegal sugar imports to protect and promote local sugar

Scarcity of sugar has seen its price rise from approximately 1.20 dollars per packet to 1.71 dollars according to VOA. With the local demand of 200,000 tonnes of sugar in a year the local production of 120,000 tonnes cannot meet the demand, additionally the Cameroonian producers are exporting some their supply, illegally to neighbouring countries.

Government authorities have been seizing large shipments of sugar imported from the European Union.

Cameroon government stopped the cooking oil imports from Indonesia and Malaysia last year after four local companies closed, citing the loss of jobs and 50,000 more jobs at stake.

“It is economically unwise for a country to close its market when its production is not even sufficient for its population…. If other countries also react by closing their markets, where will Cameroon get the goods it does not produce? Where will it sell the ones it produces to export? I think these protectionist measures are more harmful.” Said Ariel Ngnitedem, an economist at University of Yaounde to VOA