Why farmers association want sugar importation suspended

Sugar cane farmers have appealed to the government to immediately suspend any further importation of sugar.

The farmers through the Kenya Sugarcane Growers Association noted that this should be done pending an audit by the Parliamentary Committee of Agriculture.

Led by the Association Secretary General Richard Ogendo, the farmers said they are petitioning the committee because of the drop in sugar prices.

He said imports have distorted the market hence destroying the farmers.

According to Ogendo, in the history of the sugar economy in the country, there has never been a price drop like it has happened currently.

"A 30 per cent price drop from Sh 6800 to Sh 5100 in two months. This is a massive loss to farmers,  it has never happened," he said

He noted that there is enough cane and the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) should now allow factories to operate at full capacity so that any other shortfall that may arise in future can be addressed by local production and not by imports.

"Currently, there is no sugar shortage and the local capacity is already constrained," he said.

Ogendo added:

"This shows that somebody somewhere has distorted the sugar market by bringing in or flooding the market thereby killing the local capacity. If left unchecked I can assure you that the industry will be dead in a month."

He said they want to know who are the importers,  what was the procedure for giving them permits to bring in sugar and how the sugar came into the market".

Ogendo further appealed to the senate to fast-track the sugar bill because if they had a sugar board in place,  they would have a fund that would mitigate whatever is happening to farmers right now.

He also asked AFA to implement a cane testing unit program which will go a long way in addressing some of the current issues they are facing as farmers now.