No sugar daddy

As European politicians hugged rock stars and European citizens glowed with good will for Africa, African sugar producers were glum. On 22 June, the European Commission proposed slashing by 39 per cent over three years its subsidised domestic sugar price, which is about three times the world price. For sweet-toothed Europeans and most tropical sugar-growers, this was good news. The ex-colonies in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP, AC Vol 46 No 11) group of European Union associates called it a disaster. They have been allowed to sell limited quantities of sugar to Europe at the European price, which will now shrink.

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