Sugarcane farmers in South Mugirango Constituency in Kisii County have been relieved after an aspiring governor for Kisii County, Dr Onchiri Mapendusi presented a Centrifugal Machine which they will use to extract brown sugar and molasses from sugarcanes.
Speaking to the press at Engeti village in Kitenga Ward, Kisii County, Mapendusi said he will organise a two-month training session for farmers to understand how to use the machine and purify the sugar coming out of this process.
“Centrifugal machine separates molasses and sugar but the way you purify this sugar is the technical part of it which we will train you,” he explained.
Mapendusi also added that the machines will be supplied to the whole constituency soon after the launch to support the national government’s manufacturing target as part of the big four agenda.
He urged farmers to register as members of Kisii Sugar Cooperative for easy accessibility of help and support by the county government.
James Okondo, a resident of the said area, said that sugarcane farming is the backbone of the economy of many residents of South Mugirango that help them to feed their families and pay school fees for their children.
“We were told to plant many sugarcanes to get more money to help families to avoid children becoming cattle and household item thieves. People took up the challenge and planted sugarcanes up to their doorsteps but some farmers have not harvested their sugarcanes for more than two years now because of the lack of market,” Okondo said.
This comes even as South Mugirango residents are waiting for the Kisii County Government to erect a sugar processing factory as promised.
The county government has already posted on its website that it has identified an investor who will build a Sh2.4 billion sugar factory in Etago sub-county in the same constituency.
By Erastus Michieka
