Nzoia Sugar factory farmers protested on Wednesday after a meeting between them and the sugar taskforce was postponed.
No explanation was given for the cancellation.
Wilson Misiko criticised factory chairman Joash Wamang’oli and task force chairman Wycliffe Oparanya (Kakamega governor) for postponing the meeting without consulting farmers.
Wamang’oli said the meeting was postponed following the death of the acting managing director Michael Kulundu.
Misiko said the taskforce should take sugarcane issues seriously. The team was formed by President Uhuru Kenyatta and is chaired by Oparanya and Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri.
Misiko said a lot of money had been spent to prepare for the meeting, which was meant to address farmers' concerns.
He said Nzoia Sugar should be managed by the Bungoma government. If the county has no capacity then a strategic investor should be found, he said.
Misiko said sugarcane farming is critical to Bungoma's economy since it boosts other businesses and creates employment.
"If the government has plans to privatise sugar firms in Western such as Nzoia and Mumias, then farmers' views should be considered," he said.
The industry faces myriad of problems, including contraband imports, high cost of production and mismanagement, among others.
Farmer Elphas Wanaswa said sugar cartels should be named and shamed.
Some of the issues that were to be highlighted in the meeting included emerging challenges facing the industry and recommendations to mitigate them.
Others are value addition, taxation, pricing and how to bring order in the now chaotic industry.
