Sugarcane farmers plan nationwide strike over Sh1b debt

MIGORI, KENYA: Sugarcane farmers across the country have now given all sugarcane milling companies a two week ultimatum to pay the over Sh1 billion owed to farmers.

Speaking in Migori town over the weekend, the farmers said failure by the companies to act will result into countrywide demonstrations as well as boycott of cane deliveries by the farmers.

"We are disappointed that some of the companies have refused to pay the farmers for deliveries done as early as last year. We will not just keep quiet and see this go on," said the national chairman of Kenya National Sugarcane Farmers Union (KENSGU) Ezra Okoth.

Okoth dismissed the idea that some of the milling companies did not have money to pay the farmers, arguing that all other operations within the companies were going on normally.

This, he said, had greatly affected the lives of the farmers,who entirely depend on proceeds from the crop to meet their financial obligations.

He said he had made a number of visits to the milling companies where the farmers had been given unfulfilled promises and that they have now lost patience.

He further urged the Ministry of Agriculture to stop issuing certificate to importers of sugar saying traders were misusing the licenses and creating confusion in the industry through dubious trade
practices.

"Let an audit of the sugar shortage be done first before anybody is issued with a licence. This will help in ensuring that only what is needed is allowed into the country," he said.