The Kenya National Federation of Sugarcane Farmers is pushing for the revival of sugar industries in Kenya after incurring operational costs valued at Sh268 billion in the last 5 years.
In a statement to KNA Monday, the Federation’s Secretary General Ezra Okoth said public millers only produced 14 percent of the total tons of sugar while the private sector produced 86 percent in the year 2020.
The statement signed by the National Chairman, Ibrahim Juma, Chief Executive Officer, Francis Mugo, and Executive Committee Member William Kopi stated that some of the millers are non-operational like Mumias Sugar while others like Chemelil, Muhoroni, and Nzoia are poorly performing.
He revealed that the industries are facing various challenges including low cane supply, excess sugar importation, and lack of regulations among others.
The Secretary General added that these non-functional industries provided a livelihood for more than 6 million people in the rural areas of Nyanza and Western Kenya who are now left jobless.
Okoth further advised that in order for the sugar industry to survive and develop, the influence of cartels in the industry must be contained.
He therefore called on the elected political leaders from the sugarcane belt to be united and move this critical revival of the sugar sector for the benefit of all sugarcane farmers.
By Lencer Opiyo and Davis Langat
