Sugar cane farmers have urged MPs to reject amendments by the Agriculture committee to the Sugar Bill 2019.
Kenya Sugarcane Growers Association officials have asked MPs to throw out the committee’s report once it is brought to the floor of the House.
Association secretary general Richard Ogendo said the Sugar Bill should be passed as recommended by the Agriculture CS.
“Those were the recommendations that were agreed upon by the Agriculture CS, farmers and the Council of Governors”.
Ogendo said the amendments by the Agriculture committee significantly alter the spirit of the bill, which is meant to help farmers.
In the bill, he said the committee proposes that millers be licensed as importers.
“That defeats the whole purpose of milling as a business,” Ogendo said.
He said the recommendations propose that cane prices be reviewed every three years and that sugarcane farmers be represented by lobbying groups.
“It’s quite unfortunate. It confirms what the owner of the bill is saying that the committee has been held captive by cartels and sugar barons, an allegation he made on the floor of the house,” Ogendo said.
The bill was sponsored by Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi.
“We understand that sugar has got problems. It has barons and cartels. But these cartels should not be allowed to penetrate up to Parliament, Mr Speaker,” he said.
“Those barons should not be allowed to control the Parliament like they have done with the Agriculture committee”.
law
Last month, Kenya National Federation of Sugarcane Farmers secretary general Ezra Okoth said they want a law introduced to govern sugar cane harvesting and processing.
He proposed the introduction of a clause in the Sugar Bill-2019 to protect farmers from the effects of delayed harvesting.
“It should be mandatory that farmers get compensated for the loss they may incur once their crops reach harvesting period,” Okoth said.
According to Okoth, farmers spend an average of Sh68,000 to produce sugarcane per acre.
This includes the cost of land clearing, harrowing, planting, weeding, harvesting and other farm practices.
Edited by A.N