Mumias resumes sugar production after a two-month break

Sugar miller Mumias has resumed operations after a two-month break in a move that is expected to raise the depleted national stock of sugar.

The miller says it is producing up to 500 tonnes of the sweetener in a day from a low of 200 tonnes before breaking for maintenance. It has a daily production capacity of about 800 tonnes, making it the largest sugar factory in the country.

Mumias corporate communications manager Moses Owino said production of other products such as ethanol and electricity had also resumed.

“We resumed last week and we have witnessed improved performance in the factory’s output,” said Mr Owino.

The miller had a faltering re-start after experiencing a mechanical breakdown which saw it shut down on Wednesday last week but that has now been fixed.

“It is normal for a factory to experience such hitches when it resumes (working) after maintenance, but we are now back to normal operations,” he said.

Director General of the Agriculture Fisheries and Food Authority (AFFA) Alfred Busolo says stocks at the factory had risen to 8,000 tonnes as at last Friday, from a low of about 4,000 tonnes two weeks ago.

“The volumes at factory level have improved in the last few days following the injection of new stocks into the market,” said Mr Busolo.
He said that the stocks were expected to grow further in coming days.

Sugar stocks held by 11 millers had dropped to 3,678 tonnes a few weeks ago, way below the required 9,000 tonnes that should be held by the plants at any given time.

Sony sugar managing director Jane Odhiambo said their stocks were down because the factory was closed for maintenance last month.

“It takes a while before achieving the daily capacity when a factory resumes operations after maintenance,” said Ms Odhiambo.

AFFA says nearly all millers are operating below their daily capacities due to inefficiency, which has led to a lot of sucrose wastage.