By Linda Kwanjana
One of the Malawi’s leading quality Sugar producer, Salima Sugar has expressed concern over high levels of racial discrimination at the factory which has led into failure to transfer skills from expatriates to local Malawians.
Salima Sugar Company Board Chair , Mr Wester Peter Kosamu said this in Lilongwe when he addressed a press conference saying the company is doing everything it can to ensure that expatriates are doing only those specialised skills only while Malawians are understudiying them.
He said it is sad that up to now some Indians can fly all the way from India and work here as security guards and some as messengers.
“But the good news is that it is now becoming a mixture of both Malawians and I think that’s something other than what was happening before, ” he said.
Adding that there are Malawians in some sections that ever before.
Kosam commended some brave Malawians who run the machines after all the expatriates had gone to their homes in Indeed following the closure of the season on 18 November, 2023.
“Despite the tradition of closing the season on 18 November every year, there was some sugar cane which was due for crushing, and when the Indians had left , our own people in Malawi run the machines ,” he said.
“We are thinking of sending them to school to further their education because they have already demonstrated their capabilities,” he said.
On demand of Salima sugar , Kosamu said the demand is so high both in Malawi and abroad.
He said as a board chair he received a lot of phone calls from neighboring countries and beyond.
“I wish I had the magic, to expand the factory that in a minute, I can expand the sugar fields in a minute. I can expand the tonnage , currently we have exported low tonnage of sugar to Kenya and we have a dollar account as we speak ,” he said.
Kosam encouraged more Malawians to grow more sugar cane because there is already a readily available market.
“We are inviting Malawians to invest in Sugarcane farming as it is a viable business since off- takers are readily available such as our company, ” he said.
