This archive report was first published on 5 August 2020.
On August 5, 2020, the Kenya Sugar Manufacturers Association (KESMA) urged the government to lift the ban on importing raw cane, which has led to a severe supply shortage and crippled operations of most millers.
Chairman of KESMA, Jayanti Patel, stated that one of their member millers, Busia Sugar Industries, has been heavily affected by the shortage due to insufficient farming of the crop in the area.
According to Patel, the low cane supply is primarily due to the poor uptake of crop farming in the Busia region.
As a result, sugar factories have resorted to sourcing the crop from Ugandan farmers who have a surplus, but KESMA argues that lifting the ban on importing the cane from Uganda will cause no conflict of interest as local supply is currently insufficient.
“The situation is only temporary and once enough cane has been developed and available, importation of the same will be unnecessary. Kindly take the necessary action to boost sugar production for the local market,” said Patel in a letter to CS Agriculture Peter Munya and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya.
