Mudavadi urges cane farmers to try crop diversification

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has urged sugarcane farmers from Western Kenya to try crop diversification. 

Mudavadi said farmers should not rely on sugarcane alone as their source of income.

He spoke on Tuesday in Kakamega county where President William Ruto held a meeting with his Cabinet Secretaries at the State House lodge. 

"Western Kenya, being an agricultural potential region, farmers should begin turning their agriculture models towards crop diversification," Mudavadi said. 

"Let us not put all our economic eggs in one basket," Mudavadi said. 

He clarified that farmers should not stop growing sugarcane on their farms but also try out new crops. 

The Prime CS gave a scenario where the rains destroyed the sugarcane in the farms.

He said such would lead to total losses, adding that the farmer would only have something to reap if they had tried crop diversification. 

Mudavadi added that even if Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is trying to revive the coffee and tea sectors in Mt Kenya, the region is now trying to diversify its crops. 

"In Mt Kenya, they have dived into planting avocados and rice. Basically, they started crop diversification," Mudavadi said. 

He said the farmers should work on diversifying crops on their farms as the government works to resolve the issues crippling the sugar industry.

Among the issues crippling the growth of the sugar industry in Western Kenya was the closure of the Mumias Sugar factory. 

The state has been working to revive the sugar milling firm to enable residents from the region to benefit from it economically.

Recently, Ruto proposed to write off Sh117 billion debts accrued by sugar factories in a bid to revive five sugar millers

The sugar factories are Nzoia, South Nyanza (Sony), Chemelil, Mumias, Muhoroni and Miwani, the latter two are under receivership. 

The Head of State urged lawmakers to approve the waiver saying it's high time the factories get back on track.

"The initial plan to privatise state-owned millers will not happen, we will not let our companies continue sinking into more debts. It's now up to our MPs to approve the waiver on the debts owed by sugar companies," Ruto said.