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Tanzania has run out of sugar in the past three weeks, causing frustration among merchants and consumers.
Most stores have not stocked the product, and those who sell it are charging almost double the normal price.
The government attributes the shortage to the coronavirus pandemic, which it says disrupted import schedules.
But he also blames some businessmen for hoarding sugar to create a false shortage and sell it at a higher price.
Tanzania imposed price controls on the product last month after local production fell due to bad weather conditions, Bloomberg reported.
The price of one kilogram for domestic consumption was set at 2,700 Tanzanian shillings ($ 1.17; £ 0.94), but traders said it was not profitable.
On Monday, around 1,500 tons of sugar arrived at the port of Dar es Salaam.
The director of the Tanzanian Sugar Board, Kenneth Bengesi, said the shipment will soon begin to be distributed across the country.
Tanzania consumes 590,000 tons of sugar annually for domestic and industrial consumption, according to 2016 data. But the country produces an average of 300,000 tons each year.
Sugar shortages are not uncommon in the East African country.
Bad rains and price disagreements between the government and merchants have caused shortages and sharp price increases in the past.
