Kampala — Sugar is one of the commodities likely to be endangered if standards are not harmonized as the East Africa member states prepare for the impending opening up of markets regionally and globally.

Currently even before the opening of markets Uganda and other member states are complaining of the different sugars which are flooding the market something which is likely to kill the local industries.

In an interview Daily Monitor the Deputy Executive Director, Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) Dr Ben Manyindo said; "We are not saying that other sugars should not come into Uganda or the region per say . But we want fair trade; sugar which comes should not be so cheap because it's killing our local industries.

He said if this problem is not addressed it's likely to put at risk over 20,000 Ugandans who are directly employed by the local industries if they run down and this will negatively impact the economy and the poverty reduction fight.

In trying to address this problem EAC member states are meeting in Uganda at Fairway Hotel to map out three sugar standards that will be harmonized and at the end of the day protect their industries.

UNBS Manager Standards Mr Patrick Ssekitoleko said; "This meeting was intended to harmonize sugar standards in the region. Sugar standards were first harmonized in 1999 and the stakeholder's participation was minimal so this time around we want to include everybody".

He said because many stakeholders were not part of the initial implementation of standards initially, this has made trade within the region for this commodity more challenging because of the never ending non tariff barriers (NTBs) involved. He cited the one example of Uganda's producers who have a market in Rwanda but they have been subjected to all sorts of NTBs.