SOSUMO

SOSUMO (Société Sucrière du Moso) is a company that grows and refines sugar in Burundi.

Location

The company operates in the Rutana Province in the southeast of Burundi. This is in the Moso natural region of Burundi. The area is fed by the Muyovozi River, Mutsindozi River and Maragarazi River on the border with Tanzania. The complex is fed by the Mutsindozi River.

Creation

The third five-year plan for economic and social development of Burundi, issued in the early 1970s, include the Moso sugar project to improve the economy of the southeast region. The project would also save foreign currency by avoiding the need to import sugar.

The Moso Sugar Company (SOSUMO) was created on 13 July 1982 as a Private Law Mixed Economy Company (SARL). The State of Burundi held 21,250 shares, and 100 shares each were held by the Brasseries et Limonaderies du Burundi (BRARUDI) and the Société Burundaise de Financement (SBF).

SOSUMO was given a 5800 ha concession, about half of which was in marshy areas. Construction of the SOSUMO complex was assigned to the Netherlands company HVA in 1986. The civil engineering works and factory construction were subcontracted to Krupp, a German company.

The establishment of SOSUMO led to settlement of the region. The company built a large neighborhood to house its employees, separated into blocks for different categories from directors down to middle managers, technicians and ordinary employees.

Sugar production and imports

Initial production in 1988 was about 4,000 tonnes. SOSUMO planted 1149 ha in 1988. By 2023 this had risen to 3880 ha. It struggled to ramp up industrial activities between 1988 and 1991, and lost money. It had to face the socio-political crisis that lasted from 1993 to 2005, but managed to increase production steadily during this period.

Later SOSUMO averaged 20,000 tonnes annually, of which 5,000 tonnes were exported. In 2015 SOSUMO increased its sugar production to 23,000 tonnes. The company paid almost US$13 million to the state through taxes and duties, and saved about US$22.5 million in foreign exchange. It contributed 3% to Burundi's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Production and imports between 2015 and 2020 were (in tonnes):

As of 2018 the company was only able to produce 23,000 tons of sugar per year, while the demand was for 35,000 tons, some of which had to be imported. In December 2019 SOSUMO validated a study by experts from the Institute of Agronomic Sciences of Burundi (ISABU) that recommended using new techniques and types of fertilizer to boost production. The authors noted that the existing system had been unchanged for thirty years. SOSUMO agreed to now use organic fertiliser produced by FOMI, which would reduce costs, including foreign currency costs.

As of 2021 Sosumo employed 570 contract workers and almost 3,000 seasonal workers. In September 2022 SOSUMO was undertaking work to expand its fields in Rutana and Makamba provinces by 526 ha, which would let the company expand production to 35,000 tonnes of sugar annually. In March 2023 it was decided to expropriate rice farmers in the Mukazye, Mazimero, Gatonga, Kinwa and Nyamikungu marshes of the Commune of Giharo, Rutana Province, and transfer the fields to SOSUMO to grow sugar cane. This plan was later suspended.

A report in March 2024 said the company had not been able to obtain herbicides for the previous growing season. Stocks of chemical fertilizers were low, and stocks on hand were due to expire before the next growing season.

industry	Sugar production
founded	July 13, 1982 in Gihofi, Burundi
hq location city	Gihofi, Rutana Province
hq location country	Burundi
key people	* Pascal Ngendakuriyo, Chairperson * Marie Rose Bahimbare, CEO
products	Sugar
website	https://www.sosumo-burundi.com/

Location

Creation

Sugar production and imports

Factory

Distribution

Ownership

See also

References

Sources