Grocery stores and industrial users of refined sugar are suffering from the usual annual sugar scarcity, El Caribe reports. The newspaper says supermarkets that still have sugar are limiting consumers to five pounds each. El Caribe newspaper explains that the problem is caused by the limited refining capacity of Dominican sugar mills. Only one of the five sugar mills privatized by the State Sugar Council (CEA) is producing. Supplies of the Consuelo privatised mill are delayed by five months. The shortage is worsened by the government’s restrictions on imports. Licenses and quotas are required for imports and they are only granted to producers and exporters. Sugar scarcities have become a cyclical problem. Around this time of the year, those benefited by producers with inventories of sugar make extra profits selling them to those who desperately need it for production or sales. The 100 pound bag of sugar has gone up from RD$450 to RD$550 and RD$575. Hector Sanchez, executive director of the National Federation of Retailers (Fenacodep), said that if sugar is not quickly imported, there will be a crisis in mid August and September. He said the country needs to import at least 50,000 tons of refined sugar.
