Sweet news for cane farmers as sugar firm repairs roads
A tractor stuck in mud while transporting sugarcane.
What you need to know:
- Mr Okoth said the company has used Sh12 million to upgrade the 10-kilometre Ndhiwa-Riat road.
- It is one of the major roads linking the Homa Bay County-based factory to Ndhiwa town.
- Due to the poor state of the road, he said truck drivers spend over one hour to transport cane to the factory instead of the standard 15 minutes.
- He challenged the national and the county governments to consider tarmacking the road.
Farmers in western Kenya have received a boost after a sugar firm set aside funds to rehabilitate access roads in the region as it embarks on improving critical infrastructure damaged by prolonged rains.
Sukari Industries General Manager David Noel Okoth said the miller has been experiencing huge losses due to impassable roads in most parts of the region.
“The poor drainage and the dilapidated roads made it impossible for trucks to access some farms which led the company to delay harvesting some crops,” he said, adding that transporters are incurring huge costs of repairs.
Mr Okoth said the company has used Sh12 million to upgrade the 10-kilometre Ndhiwa-Riat road, which is one of the major roads linking the Homa Bay County-based factory to Ndhiwa town.
Due to the poor state of the road, he said truck drivers spend over one hour to transport cane to the factory instead of the standard 15 minutes.
Tarmac road
He challenged the national and the county governments to consider tarmacking the road.
Sukari Industries has also repaired the five-kilometre Amoyo-Ligotho road, 10-kilometre Amoyo-Ongito road, Ongito-Ayego (9km), Oria market-Nyamasare road (12km) and the 11-kilometre Oria-Pala road, among others.
Mr Okoth said the refurbishment of the roads will improve the company’s efficiency and ensure that crops are harvested on time.
Cane growers from the Nyando sugar belt have also raised concerns that the prolonged rainfall continues to hinder accessibility to their farms.
Kenya Sugarcane Growers Association (Kesga) Secretary-General Richard Ogendo said the delayed harvesting of sugarcane is compromising the yield and quality of the sweetener.
“As desperate measures, some farmers whose crops have matured have been forced to sell their harvest at local jaggery producing units which pay much lower than the sugar millers,” he told Nation.
Kenya National Federation of Sugarcane Farmers national treasurer Stephen ole Narupa has also indicated that the flooded farms forced farmers in South Nyanza to stay with sugarcane over 22 months after attaining maturity.
