Agency halts sugar milling in Western, Nyanza as cane shortage bites

Sugar millers in Western and Nyanza regions are set to shut down operations from today as the government moves to address the acute cane shortage in the zone.

The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) has suspended crushing for four months citing a drastic decline in sugar production over the past six months. Sugar Directorate acting director Jude Chesire noted that the break will allow sugarcane to mature.

“Milling operations had reached less than 25 per cent of the installed capacity utilisation, leading to a drastic decline in sugar production in the past six months,” he said.

He attributed the shortage to lack of investment in cane development by millers.

Read: Years of neglect turn sugar cane farming from blessing to curse

“We also had unregulated cane collection centres and non-adherence to proper cane husbandry by farmers due to lack of access to adequate financing,” said Mr Chesire.

Milling operations in South Nyanza and Coast region will however continue uninterrupted due to availability of mature cane.

This means that the government will rely on Sony Sugar, Transmara, Sukari Industries and Coast-based Kwale International Sugar Company Limited to produce the sweetener in the country while bridging the deficit through imports.

The country needs 185,000 metric tonnes of sugar to cover the period.

West Kenya, Olepito, Nzoia and Butali have already declared redundancies, saying, only critical workers will be maintained during the time.

“All casual employees, except those in nucleus estate and critical areas will have their contracts terminated forthwith. Fresh contracts shall be signed for the exempts,” said Nzoia managing director Bryan Keya.

Read: Pain of Kenyan sugarcane farmers

The AFA announced that a sugarcane census will be undertaken within the next two months to determine the actual production of sugarcane in the farms.

Cane development

Mr Chesire urged millers to undertake cane development to ensure adequate supply in future.

Kenya Union of Sugarcane Plantation and Allied Workers General Secretary Francis Wangara, however, called on the government to support local millers and farmers to boost production.

Kenya National Federation of Sugarcane Farmers Muhoroni branch secretary-general Noah Opiyo added that the provision of credit facilities to farmers would boost the production of sugarcane.

“Being a capital-intensive crop, most farmers lack the capacity to embark on large-scale production,” said Mr Opiyo.