The management and staff of Nzoia Sugar Company in Bungoma on Monday started planting sugarcane to help revive the struggling factory.
The 500 workers said they will continue planting cane daily until the more than 1,000 acres is covered before the end of next month.
Nzoia has the largest nuclear estate in East and Central Africa that has not been fully utilised.
'"We can't continue sitting in our offices and yet the factory has no cane while we have one of the largest nuclear estates," worker David Wafula said.
Managing director Michael Makokha, who took part in the planting, said the company's main challenge is shortage of cane.
He said the factory grinds 3,000 metric tonnes of sugarcane every day which means they need more cane both from the nuclear estate and from their contracted farmers.
''We want more cane for us to sustain the company and that is why we have mobilised our staff to revive the nuclear estate," Makokha said..
He said the cane they planted matures early, and it takes between nine to 11 months to harvest. The MD asked farmers to plant more cane on their farms to enable the factory run effectively.
Makokha assured farmers that they would be paid immediately the firm resumes milling early next month.
''We owe our farmers Sh321 million and I'm assuring them we are going to start paying them when we resume milling next month," he said.
Makokha said the farmers should not lose hope as they were also expecting funding from national government to start paying them. He promised that soon Nzoia Sugar Company will be back on track.
The company has been facing a lot of challenges including cane poaching due to free cane markets.
Bungoma leaders among the Senator Moses Wetang'ula and Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi have asked the national government to consider allowing the county government to run the mill.
(Edited by P Wanambisi)
