Botswana Sugar Import Market -- HS Code 1701 Trade Data & Price Trend (May 2025)

Botswana Sugar Import (HS 1701) Key Takeaways

Botswana's sugar imports under HS code 1701 rebounded in May 2025, reaching $5.62M at $0.84/kg, signaling renewed demand after April's dip. The market is dominated by raw cane sugar, a bulk commodity with limited pricing power, while supplier concentration creates high vulnerability, with South Africa supplying 56% of value and regional hubs like Zimbabwe handling bulk volumes. This analysis, based on cleanly processed Customs data from the yTrade database, covers May 2025 and highlights Botswana's reliance on a narrow supply chain for its sugar imports.

Botswana Sugar Import (HS 1701) Background

What is HS Code 1701?

HS Code 1701 refers to cane or beet sugar, a globally traded commodity with stable demand driven by food processing, beverage production, and household consumption. Its significance lies in its role as a staple sweetener across industries, ensuring consistent trade volumes worldwide. Botswana’s sugar import under this code reflects its reliance on external suppliers to meet domestic needs.

Current Context and Strategic Position

Recent data highlights Tongaat Hulett (Botswana) as the dominant importer of HS Code 1701, accounting for 61.66% of Botswana’s sugar imports [Tendata]. This concentration underscores the strategic importance of monitoring Botswana’s sugar import trends, especially given potential shifts in global tariff schedules, as seen in the 2025 Harmonized Tariff Schedule revisions. Vigilance in tracking hs code 1701 trade data is critical to anticipate supply chain disruptions or policy-driven price fluctuations. Botswana’s reliance on imports positions it as a key market for sugar exporters, necessitating close analysis of trade dynamics.

Botswana Sugar Import (HS 1701) Price Trend

Key Observations

In May 2025, Botswana's sugar imports under HS code 1701 reached 5.62 million USD at a unit price of $0.84 per kg, reflecting a notable rebound in value from April's 4.46 million USD. This recovery occurred despite a slight dip in average prices compared to earlier months.

Price and Volume Dynamics

The Botswana Sugar Import trend showed volatility through early 2025, with value peaking in March at 5.95 million USD before declining in April. The sequential growth into May suggests renewed import momentum, potentially driven by inventory adjustments or seasonal stockpiling ahead of periods of stable demand. This fluctuation aligns with market concentration patterns, where a single importer, TONGAAT HULETT, holds a dominant share, as noted in the [Tendata] report from March. Such concentration can amplify shifts in import volumes, influencing the hs code 1701 value trend without significant price changes, indicating responsive supply chain strategies rather than broad market disruptions.

Botswana Sugar Import (HS 1701) HS Code Breakdown

Product Specialization and Concentration

According to yTrade data for May 2025, Botswana's import of HS Code 1701 is highly concentrated in raw cane sugar. The product 'Sugars; cane sugar, raw, in solid form' (HS 17011300) dominates, accounting for 44.5% of the total import value and 47.4% of the weight. This specialization is clear from its lower unit price of $0.79 per kilogram, typical for a bulk commodity. An extreme price anomaly exists with a small volume of flavored or colored sucrose (HS 17019100), which trades at $14.88 per kilogram; this specialized product is isolated from the main market analysis.

Value-Chain Structure and Grade Analysis

The market structure for Botswana's HS Code 1701 import reveals two clear product grades. The first group consists of various raw sugars, including raw cane and beet sugars, all trading between $0.72 and $0.97 per kilogram. The second group is chemically pure sucrose without additives, which commands a slightly higher price of $0.95 per kilogram. This structure, with low price dispersion and high volume, confirms that the trade is for fungible bulk commodities, not differentiated manufactured goods.

Strategic Implication and Pricing Power

For buyers in Botswana, this bulk commodity structure means limited pricing power, as products are largely interchangeable and tied to global sugar indices. The strategic focus should be on securing cost-effective, long-term contracts for raw sugars, which form the core of the import volume. Analyzing HS Code 1701 trade data shows that competitive sourcing from major raw sugar producers will be more impactful than pursuing small volumes of high-value specialized products.

Table: Botswana HS Code 1701) Breakdown Details (Source: yTrade)

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Botswana Sugar Import (HS 1701) Origin Countries

Geographic Concentration and Dominant Role

South Africa is the top supplier for Botswana's Sugar imports in May 2025, holding a 56.07% share by value and 79.59% by shipment frequency. Its weight share is lower at 48.83%, suggesting that Botswana imports higher-value or processed sugar from South Africa, rather than bulk raw materials. The high frequency indicates regular, possibly daily shipments, which is common for perishable goods like sugar to ensure freshness.

Origin Countries Clusters and Underlying Causes

The suppliers form two main clusters: a volume cluster with Zimbabwe and Eswatini, which have weight shares of 34.45% and 16.72% respectively, pointing to bulk sugar imports likely due to regional production hubs. South Africa acts as a transactional cluster with its high frequency, driven by geographic proximity enabling efficient, frequent deliveries. Switzerland's minimal share is negligible and omitted due to data anomalies.

Forward Strategy and Supply Chain Implications

Botswana's dependence on South Africa for Sugar imports poses a supply chain risk; diversifying to other regional sources could mitigate this. The high shipment frequency requires stable logistics, but exploring alternatives like Zimbabwe or Eswatini for bulk supply might improve cost efficiency and resilience in Botswana's Sugar import strategy.

Table: Botswana Sugar (HS 1701) Top Origin Countries (Source: yTrade)

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Botswana Sugar (HS 1701) Suppliers Analysis

Supplier Concentration and Dominance

In May 2025, the Botswana Sugar import market shows extreme supplier concentration. According to yTrade data, a small group of high-value, high-frequency suppliers handles 99.20% of the import value and 71.77% of shipment frequency. This indicates that the typical trade involves large, regular bulk purchases, with these suppliers dominating almost all volume and value.

Strategic Supplier Clusters and Trade Role

The dominant suppliers, including SUPA GINJA PTY LTD and TONGAAT HULLET BOTSWANA, are likely direct producers or major processors, pointing to a direct-to-factory sourcing model for HS code 1701. The minor cluster with low-value but high-frequency activity, represented by entities like DIGISTICS, suggests a role in handling smaller, ancillary shipments, possibly through logistics or trading intermediaries, but with minimal overall impact.

Sourcing Strategy and Vulnerability

Botswana's heavy reliance on a few key suppliers for Sugar imports creates significant supply chain vulnerability, necessitating strategies for diversification or contingency planning. The high concentration underscores the risk of disruptions from supplier-side issues. News from Tendata highlights TONGAAT HULETT's leading import share [Tendata], reinforcing the need for importers to monitor and mitigate dependency risks in their sourcing approach.

Table: Botswana Sugar (HS 1701) Top Suppliers List (Source: yTrade)

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Action Plan for Sugar Market Operation and Expansion

• Prioritize sourcing raw cane sugar (HS 17011300) in bulk to leverage its dominant share and lower unit price within the hs code 1701 trade data, as this directly reduces the overall cost of Botswana's Sugar Import.
• Diversify the Sugar supply chain by developing contracts with secondary regional suppliers in Zimbabwe and Eswatini to mitigate the high-risk dependency on South African sources and enhance import resilience.
• Negotiate long-term contracts with high-volume suppliers to lock in stable pricing for bulk raw sugar, protecting against global price volatility and ensuring consistent supply for Botswana's Sugar Import needs.
• Use detailed hs code 1701 trade data to monitor the shipment frequency and volumes of top suppliers, enabling better inventory planning and avoiding costly stockouts or overstock situations.
• Develop a contingency plan for logistics disruptions by analyzing alternative transport routes, as the high shipment frequency from South Africa is a critical but vulnerable link in the current Sugar supply chain.

Take Action Now —— Explore Botswana Sugar Import Data

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is driving the recent changes in Botswana Sugar Import 2025 May?

The rebound in import value to $5.62 million in May reflects renewed momentum after an April dip, likely due to inventory adjustments or seasonal stockpiling. Dominance by a single importer (TONGAAT HULETT) amplifies volume shifts without major price disruptions.

Q2. Who are the main origin countries of Botswana Sugar (HS Code 1701) 2025 May?

South Africa leads with 56.07% of import value, followed by Zimbabwe (34.45% weight share) and Eswatini (16.72%). South Africa’s high shipment frequency suggests regular, possibly perishable deliveries.

Q3. Why does the unit price differ across origin countries of Botswana Sugar Import?

Price differences stem from product grades: bulk raw sugars (e.g., HS 17011300) trade at $0.72–$0.97/kg, while specialized products like flavored sucrose (HS 17019100) spike to $14.88/kg.

Q4. What should importers in Botswana focus on when buying Sugar?

Prioritize long-term contracts for cost-effective raw sugars (core volume) and diversify suppliers to mitigate risks from extreme concentration (e.g., 99.2% value handled by a few).

Q5. What does this Botswana Sugar import pattern mean for overseas suppliers?

Suppliers like South Africa benefit from stable, high-frequency demand, but regional producers (Zimbabwe/Eswatini) could gain share if Botswana seeks bulk diversification for resilience.

Q6. How is Sugar typically used in this trade flow?

Imports are dominated by raw cane sugar (HS 17011300), indicating bulk industrial use, likely for food processing or refining, given its fungible, low-price commodity structure.