CN Sugar Company licensing ordered by Ugandan Prime Minister

Ugandan Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has ordered the Ministry of Trade to immediately issue a production license to CN Sugar Company in Namayingo District. The directive follows an intervention by President Yoweri Museveni to resolve a three-year regulatory impasse that has left the company’s factory project stalled.

Local sugarcane farmers in Namayingo recently confronted Sugar Council members, expressing frustration over the delay. Farmers reported that the lack of a local processing plant has forced them to rely on middlemen and distant factories, resulting in lower prices and higher transportation costs. They also alleged that the delay has deprived the region of anticipated employment and economic growth.

The Ministry of Trade previously delayed the licensing to enforce a policy requiring millers to operate their own nucleus estates to prevent the poaching of sugarcane from competitors. However, officials noted that CN Sugar has satisfied these prerequisites. The company reported that the prolonged wait has caused significant financial losses despite heavy investments in machinery and land.