Few kilos of sugar found in one of the shops in Bujumbura
Pélate Niyonkuru, Commerce Minister, has announced on Monday the price increase of the Burundi sugar company’s product. “The price has changed from BIF 1900 to BIF 2200 per kg due to the rise of the sugar production cost”, he said.
Before January 2017, the price of sugar varied between BIF 2100 and 2600 BIF in some shops of capital Bujumbura while the official price was BIF 1900.
“I was selling sugar at BIF 2400/kg considering the price of a 50 kg- sack. I would lose if I were to sell it at the official price”, says a shopkeeper in Ngagara neighborhood of Ntahangwa Commune.
She says if the wholesalers sell it at the official price then she’ll also respect the new price set by the SOSUMO.
Other vendors had decided not to sell it anymore fearing to be caught while selling it at a higher price than the one set by the company. “I used to sell it at BIF 1900 before its shortage in November, but when we got sugar again, the price had changed. I decided not to sell it to avoid problems with the police”, says a shopkeeper in Kamenge neighborhood of Ntahangwa commune.
The rise in sugar price has followed the one of Burundi Brewery Company products announced on weekend when there was a serious shortage of sugar.
“I think SOSUMO wanted to give it at the new price from Monday”, says a wholesaler found in Kamenge.
He also says he was left with only 4kg in the shop. “If SOSUMO continues to provide it fairly we will sell it at the official price”, he says.
According to sources from the Burundi sugar company SOSUMO, the retailer gets a sack of sugar (50kg) at BIF 107,138, the wholesaler gets it at BIF 104,879 from the company.
IWACU Open Data
