Cane farmers are pushing the government to invest in new, high-yielding and fast-maturing cane varieties rich in sucrose content to revitalise the sugar sector.

The farmers believe that these new high-yielding cane varieties could enhance overall productivity and profitability, and will help to meet the demands of the market more effectively.

Led by Ezra Okoth, the chairman of the Kenya National Sugarcane Federation, they said such reforms in the industry will ensure sustainability and improve overall cane production output. They insisted on adoption of new yielding seeds.

“We support a sugarcane payment system that rewards them based on sucrose content, as it promises to incentivise higher-quality production. But we want new cane varieties,’’ he said.

The farmers’ Federation officials, rooted for reforms in the industry to ensure sustainability and improve output, critical for both local production and competitiveness in the sugar market.

They argued that investing in research and development of these cane varieties will not only benefit individual farmers but also contribute to the sustainability and competitiveness of the sugar industry as a whole.

The call for new varieties reflects a desire for innovation and improvement in agricultural practices, to ensure that farmers thrive in a changing economic landscape.

Improved cane varieties

Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), disclosed that about Sh600 million is required for the multiplication of these improved cane varieties. It will incentivize farmers for quality.

In response to the concerns, the authority has initiated public consultative meetings with cane farmers in the country to discuss and evaluate the proposed payment system based on the sucrose content.

These ongoing meetings in the sugar belt aim to gather feedback and reach a consensus on whether to adopt or reject this new payment model for sugarcane delivered to sugar factories.

Yesterday, Sugar Directorate boss Jude Chesire, said cane farmers’ input is crucial in shaping the proposed system that seeks to benefit the agricultural community and enhance the sugar industry’s sustainability.

“AFA has embarked on public consultation meetings on the draft crops (sugar), quality-based sugarcane payments system on sucrose content, Regulations Bill,2023,’’ he told the media.

The meetings began in the South Nyanza sugar belt, covering Migori, Trans Mara, Sony Sugar, and Sukari Industries on Monday.

Okoth said they engaged in candid discussions to dissect the industry and share their perspectives on the proposed payment system based on sucrose content.

“This collaborative approach aims to ensure that the voices of farmers are heard as they consider the implications of the new payment model riding on the farmers consent,’’ explained Chesire

But the recent withdrawal of the Finance Bill, where the Sh600 million for the multiplication of fast-maturing, high-sucrose cane varieties was budgeted, now raises concerns about the timely implementation of these much-needed reforms in the sugar industry.

With no immediate access to the funds, this delay could impact the plans to introduce and multiply the new cane varieties, possibly stalling efforts to revitalize the sector, Chesire noted.

This means cane farmers and stakeholders may have to wait longer for the improvements promised by AFA, as the reforms are now tied to the future passage of a revised Finance Bill.

This could also slow down the anticipated gains in sugar production, affecting both local farmers and the national economy. This emerged during the ongoing farmer’s public participation forum.

Draft regulations

The forum is being held in West Kenya- Naitiri, pairing Nzoia, West Kenya-Olepito and Busia tomorrow in Bungoma as AFA continue the public consultation meetings on the draft regulations for a quality-based sugarcane payment system.

On September 25, they will proceed to Butali, West Kenya, Mumias in Kakamega before they wind up on Thursday September 26th with Kisumu-Kibos, West Valley, Muhoroni, Chemelil and Soin in Kisumu
In his recent visit to Nyanza, President William Ruto called on the AFA to expedite the implementation of a new payment system, to enhance the sugarcane payment structure and improve farmers’ earnings.

The proposed quality-based payment system is part of ongoing efforts to support the agricultural sector and could be crucial for improving the efficiency of payments to farmers and ensuring they receive timely compensation for their produce.