• Sugar stock being sold to companies not of required standard and has altered taste and texture of products
• LCMA to propose the govt, to allow manufacturers to directly import white sugar, with a special licence 
• LCMA warns of drop in local confectionery products exports if present situation continues

By Shabiya Ali Ahlam
Sweet turns sour for local confectionery manufacturers as they are expected to feed into their production process substandard sugar which has hampered the overall quality of the end product reaching the market.

The import ban on white sugar has aggravated the woes of the confectionery industry, Lanka Confectionery Manufacturers Association (LCMA) told Mirror Business. The sugar stock that is being sold to companies is not of the required standard which has altered the taste and texture of products that have been manufactured recently.
“We use imported branded crystallized white sugar in the confectionery industry and due to the import ban on this raw material the manufacturers are taking a new hit. We managed to procure some stocks of white sugar that was imported some months ago, but it is of very poor quality. The sugar has not been stored in the right conditions. It is waterish. We can’t use it for our production. It is becoming increasingly difficult for us to move forward,” said LCMA Chairman S.M.D. Suriyakumara.

Highlighting the plight of those in the industry, Suriyakumara said there is also a hike in the price of imported white sugar as wholesalers are using the import ban to sell the raw material at 
unrealistic prices.

“There is an abnormal price increase in white sugar. The wholesalers are using the current scarcity to their advantage.  Also there are no fixed prices. Within the LCMA membership itself we have observed that sugar is sold at a range of prices to the manufacturers. We cannot continue to operate this way,” asserted the LCMA representative.

To address the issues, the LCMA members have requested a meeting with the relevant ministries. Suriyakumara said the Association will propose to the government to allow manufacturers to directly import white sugar, for which a special licence is required. 

“Our proposal to the government is to allow us to import white sugar individually where we can import only the quantities required for our production. That way, we can be certain of the quality of raw material fed into the manufacturing process, and also not be subjected to unfair prices,” said Suriyakumara.

He stressed that should the situation continue, the local confectionery manufacturers will soon see exports drop as maintaining quality and standards of products is imperative to retain the market share.