Africa-Press – Malawi. VALUABLE—SugarcaneGovernment-owned Salima Sugar Company Limited (SSCL) has halted its operations barely two weeks after starting the crushing season.
The company began its operations on March 19, 2025, but according to our sources, things have not been running smoothly due to challenges with spare parts.
“As of today, we have completely stopped operations. The company is considering ways of obtaining the spares from outside the country,” the source said.
He added that the development is likely to affect the company, which had already started harvesting sugarcane for crushing.
According to experts, when sugarcane is harvested but takes time to be crushed, it can face challenges, including a deterioration in the form of the sucrose content in the cane decreasing over time.
Additionally, sugarcane is said to be highly perishable and that once it is harvested, it starts losing its juice.
“The longer it takes to crush the cane, the more juice is lost, which directly affects the amount of sugar that can be extracted,” an expert said.
Our source at SSCL also feared that the sugarcane that has been harvested for crushing and is idle may be destroyed.
“It is definitely a situation we would prefer to avoid, but we are working hard to minimise the impact and restore operations,” the source said.
He added that it might be awkward for such a “big and established” government-owned entity to be discussing spare parts now, when the issues should have been sorted out long ago.
“Now, the sugarcane that was harvested might end up being lost. One wonders what the authorities were doing during the off-season, as this may affect the operations of the factory,” the source said.
Company secretary Charles Thupi referred us to board chairperson Kossam Munthali, who refused to comment on the matter.
The company was established in 2018 as a government joint venture but is now fully owned by the Malawi Government.
This followed the termination of its shareholding deal with Aum Sugar and Allied Limited of India due to an alleged breach of contract.
Last year, Kossamu told us that they produced about 21,000 metric tonnes (MT) of sugar, which were sold.
The company last season projected producing about 25,000 MT of sugar but managed only 21,000 MT.
Kossamu recently expressed delight with the development, saying it is the first time the firm has reached such production levels and generated about K40 billion from sales.
Marvin BandaHe added that, through the reforms ordered by President Lazarus Chakwera at the company, there has been some progress and that consumers will now start seeing their sugar on the market.
However, economist Marvin Banda said the company needs time before it can compete in the sugar market.
“The company has been struggling to break into the market. It is also coming from a background of management issues that affected its operations and needs to be given time,” he said.
Chakwera called for reforms at the company amid reports of financial mismanagement. This followed an audit report that revealed corrupt activities at the company.
Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda revealed that officials at the company were failing to validate over K100 billion that was used in setting up the firm.
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