• He said each committee should comprise the area MCA, farmers and other stakeholders in the cane industry.
• Savula said the county government alone is not in a position to single-handedly make things better in the cane industry.
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@ppcheti
The western Kenya region has been the highest producer of sugar, with cane being a major cash crop for many families.
However, in the last few years, most farmers in the region have stopped cane farming to start other economically viable ventures after sugar millers in the region collapsed while others struggled to stay afloat.
The Kakamega government has come up with a plan to revitalise the sugar industry by allowing farmers to take part in the formation of policies to make the sector vibrant again.
Deputy Governor Ayub Savula said the county assembly will form a special committee in every ward with all sector players on board.
He said each committee should comprise the area MCA, farmers and other stakeholders in the cane industry.
The plan is to ensure all players understand perfectly the role they are to play and how to play them to revive the sugar sector which has not been doing well, especially with the constant struggles that have faced the Mumias Sugar Company.
“The Mumias Sugar miller, for instance, was reopened recently and is in need of a constant supply of raw materials which can only be realised if proper sugarcane development practice is embraced through a joint venture involving farmers and other key stakeholders in the sector, including the county government,” Savula said.
The deputy governor said the county government alone is not in a position to single-handedly make things better in the cane industry, hence the call for cooperation and involvement of all partners and players.
After the committees are formed at the ward level, they shall be charged with, among other tasks, ensuring proper land preparation and successful transportation of cane to the factory for farmers at no cost.
The plan, according to Savula, is also to ensure farmers are paid no longer than two days after they deliver their cane to millers.
Farmers will have to sign a new contract as a way of writing off existing debts.
“We are in talks with the management of Mumias Sugar Company to see to it that cane farmers are paid after every two days of delivering cane to the factory,” Savula said.
He said MCAs, through the county assembly, have massive power to protect cane farmers through the enactment of legislation that will moderate the importation of sugarcane for milling at the factory.
Previously, the government allowed struggling millers to import cheap sugar and repackage it to make profits.
The move was aimed at sustaining the millers to stay afloat but did not factor in the struggles of the farmer.
Cane farmers need to be largely convinced that whatever plans the county and national governments are talking about are going to work to their benefit and are sustainable.
Edited by A.N