Editorials

EDITORIAL: Listen to cane farmers

sugar

The weak link in the sugar industry reforms process has been implementation inertia. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The frustrations of sugarcane farmers in Western Kenya with the recent formation of an industry taskforce are understandable.

In all likelihood, the task force appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta to help reform the troubled industry will not come up with any findings or proposals dramatically different from what is already contained in many other official reports or studies.

Issues around cane and sugar pricing, cost of production, importation, mismanagement and privatisation of State millers were comprehensively addressed in a 2014 report by the parliamentary committee on agriculture.

The weak link in the sugar industry reforms process has been implementation inertia. For instance, the privatisation of the five perennially mismanaged State millers – Muhoroni, Chemelil, Nzoia, Miwani and Sony – has all but stalled.

But an even bigger problem with the latest task force is the signal that it will further delay payments of billions of shillings owed to farmers for cane deliveries, condemning many of them to destitution.

The Kenya National Alliance of Sugarcane Farmers puts the outstanding debt at Sh2.7 billion and has vowed to snub public participation forums organised by the task force chaired by Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya until the money is released to farmers.

There is a strong case for the government and the taskforce to listen to them.