Ruto promises cane farmers cheap fertiliser

By ALEX NAMULIRO

Deputy President William Ruto has assured sugar cane farmers that fertiliser shall be subsidised.

Ruto was responding to requests from Kakamega County leaders at Butali Sugar Factory, who asked the Government to drop the cost of the commodity.

“On the issue of fertiliser, Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) had declined to offer a subsidy. But now they have no choice but reduce the price,” Ruto said.

“Currently, the Government has dispatched the Agriculture Cabinet Secretary to Russia and then later Belarus to solicit for fertiliser at affordable prices. I want to assure you that cane farmers will also benefit from the fertilser that the Government intends to import.”

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture Ayub Savula had asked that sugar cane farmers be allowed to purchase fertiliser at Sh1,600, the amount maize farmers pay.

“I want to call upon members of our committee to unanimously agree to have fertiliser for cane farmers subsidised. We are also proposing that KSB be granted legal powers to import fertiliser,” Savula said.

“There is no reason why cane farmers should pay Sh4,000 for fertiliser while for maize it is Sh1,600.”

Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale said the Government should move with speed to carry out reforms in the sugar sector.

“Comesa safeguards should not be the cane farmer’s problem because it is not the farmer who entered into a deal with Comesa but Government. The sugar problem is a national problem,” he explained.