New projects to cut sugarcane maturity time to 12 months

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The Sugar Directorate chief executive said the programme has been successful in Kwale where cane production is 100 per cent under irrigation.
Ms Mkok said that irrigation projects were also ongoing in Chemelil, Muhoroni and Nzoia. Sony Sugar Company has already leased 500 hectares in the Lower Kuja region for the exercise.
The firm targets an additional revenue of more than Sh20 million in the next two years from the irrigation scheme.

The Sugar Directorate has said new cane varieties under irrigation will cut cane maturity time from 18 months to one year, resulting in high profit margins for farmers.

Chief executive Rosemary Mkok said the programme has been successful in Kwale where cane production is 100 per cent under irrigation.
Ms Mkok said that irrigation projects were also ongoing in Chemelil, Muhoroni and Nzoia.

Sony Sugar Company has already leased 500 hectares in the Lower Kuja region for the exercise.

The firm targets an additional revenue of more than Sh20 million in the next two years from the irrigation scheme which is managed by the National Irrigation Board.

A consultancy report released last year by Kenana Engineering and Technical Services urged the regulator to embrace irrigation as a means of addressing cane shortage.

The report urged directorate to consider promoting cane irrigation in Tana River, Ewaso River North, Athi River, Western (Lake Victoria) and Rift Valley basins.

Kenya’s 11 licensed millers are currently operating below capacity due to shortage of sugarcane.

READ: Millers plan to pay cane farmers based on sugar content

Experts have warned the millers to brace for a biting cane shortage in this financial year as production drops.

The directorate, in its 2012/2013 and 2014/2015 sector outlook report, says a census on cane showed that yields have dropped by 2.5 per cent despite enhanced development programmes by millers.

From April 2013, Sh1.3 billion has been disbursed to millers for onward lending to farmers in support of the cane development strategy.

This has seen land under cane increase from 179,451 hectares to 214,000 over the last two years, resulting in an annual sugar production of 600,179 tonnes up from 490,210.

The directorate has also rolled out a campaign meant to increase adoption of certified early maturing seed cane varieties which have high sucrose content and are disease resistant. Last year eight varieties were released and supplied to farmers.