Kenya: Munya Assures Sugarcane Farmers of Sucrose-Based Price Payments to Boost Earnings

Kisumu — Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya says that sugarcane farmers will soon be paid based on the sucrose content of the product as opposed to the weight of the cane under new measures aimed at making farming a profitable venture

While launching the task force report on the sugar prices stabilization framework in Kisumu on Monday, Munya said sucrose-based price compensation payments are part of the reforms instituted by the Jubilee administration in order to enable farmers to reap and maximize from what they have harvested.

He urged for a renewed focus on value addition where different agro-wastes generated in sugar factories such as bagasse, molasses, ashes, and vinasse be diversified through value addition.

"We can develop products for the food as well as non-food sector and, on the other, value-added products, fertilizer, biofuels, chemicals," he said.

He noted that the current reality is that sugar cannot be considered the sole product of a sugar mill factory.

The CS further noted that the Government sugarcane research centers tasked with developing cane for farmers have faced challenges in terms of dwindling funds from the government.

"We are going to impose levies to fund most activities in the sugar sector and the research institutes will benefit from these levies," he said while vouching for a Raila Odinga presidency.

Munya further announced that the government has paid farmers and workers in state mills all arrears to allow the new administration to start on a new balance sheet.

He noted that the government is still pushing for new investors to take over the mills under privatization.

"We have a problem in the engine efficiency in our mills and that's why we are looking for more investors to put up new factories and modernize our existing mills," he said.

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