Government says processes behind drafting the much-awaited Sugar Bill are at an advanced stage.

According to Controller of Agriculture Services in the Ministry of Agriculture Alexander Bulilani, the Sugarcane Growers Association of Malawi (SUGAM) is the one championing drafting of the Bill.

He said: “The Sugar Bill was already presented to parliamentary committees for their familiarisation, one thing which had not happened was to have a consultation with the other stakeholders.

The Ministry did that and what is remaining now is just for us to reconcile with the comments they gave me against what the farmers because you see the Sugar Bills is being championed by SUGAM.”

Bulilani added that there are prospects that the Bill would be tabled in the forthcoming sitting of the National Assembly.

“So they are representing the cane farmers, so the farmers agreed, has to be put against what these other stakeholders, which are very important because they are the off takers.

We are balancing that, but the bottom line is that we want to have this Bill in Parliament during the next sitting,” Bulilani said.