Sugarcane farmers protest KSh4000 pay, want price increased

Sugarcane farmers and leaders drawn from across Malava Sub-county in Kakamega, have decried rampant exploitation from millers, the Sugar Pricing Committee and the Sugar Directorate.

This is after the price per ton of sugar cane was slashed to KSh4,950 down from KSh5,150 in a letter dated August 7 directed to sugar factories from the Sugar Directorate and signed by Jude Chesire, the Acting Director.

“Following the last expiry of interim cane pricing committee and in absence of Cabinet Secretary to appoint the same, the price for cane per tone in the interim for the month of August is guided at Kshs. 4,950,” reads a letter, copied to all millers, Principal Secretary State Department for Agriculture and the director general Agriculture and Food Authority.

Due to this, politician and Advocate Edgar Busiega, who is also a sugar cane farmer, now wants the sugar prices to be determined by stakeholders who hail from sugar growing zones who understand the cost of farming.

According to him, it cannot be business as usual when a few individuals listen to millers instead of the thousands of farmers to make decisions.

To him, it would benefit the farmer more, if the price is improved to at least Ksh6,500 by factoring in the cost involved in farming among other factors.

Busiega also warned miller’s that the earlier they handle the permit issuance problem the better saying it is shocking that at such a time when Malava plays a host to two sugar factories – West Kenya and Butali -farmers still pay bribes to get a harvesting permit for their produce.

He said the millers should live with the hard facts that without farmers, their operations will be halted and think of ways of handling them without oppression.

A farmer, Luke Mulunda, says there is a need for a stakeholders meeting to be held regularly between millers, Agricuture Food Authority, and farmers so that they can all understand the plight farmers go through to give the factories raw materials.

This, he said, would help them in determining cane prices in future.