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Farmers fault government sugar sector woes

Out growers chairman Saulo Busolo says sector is going through crisis.

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by The Star

Nyanza23 June 2019 - 12:31
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In Summary


• All factories are unable to crush to required capacity.

• Farmers say government is not serious about revival of sugar industry.

Mumias sugar.

Cane farmers have blamed the government for the failing sugar sector, citing problems facing state millers. 

Out growers chairman Saulo Busolo said the sector is going through a crisis of productivity, lack of enough cane and low production capacity.

Busolo said there is a serious deficit of 1.2 million tones of sugar cane.

He said all factories have unable to crush to the required capacity for the last three years.

He spoke in Kisumu on Friday during the nomination of members to the Agricultural and Food Authority board.

Sugarcane farmer Charles Atyang' questioned the Sh700 million budgetary allocation to bail out sugarcane farmers, terming it too little.

He said it is clear that the national government is not serious about revival of sugar industry.

“If we look at the current situation, Chemelil, Sony Sugar are closed. Mumias is gone. What is the future of the industry?"

Atyang' condemned the government sugar task force for failing to publicize its findings months after its operational deadline lapsed.

The farmers' representatives selected Saulo Busolo, Peres Ochola and Nicholas Oricho as nominees to the AFA board.

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