Sugar cane farmers have threated to quit supplying canes to millers following the delayed payment that has rocked the sector.
Through their association leaders, the farmers now want the government to remain true to their course and promptly pay farmers dues as earlier agreed.
Speaking to the press in Awendo the Kenya National Federation of Sugarcane Farmers(KNFSF) Chair Ibrahim Juma said that the farmers are reluctant to continue supplying their cane to millers following the impasse that has rocked the cane sector.
“How does the government expect farmers to continue supplying sugar cane when the millers are unable to settle the Sh2.7 billion owed by their factories?” asked Juma.
He further faulted the government for failing to regulate the sugar sector prompting cartels to take over the sector resulting in runaway corruption.
“There is a big confusion caused by lack of regulation in the sector and cartels have taken advantage of the situation to harass farmers by importing substandard sugar from other countries,” he said.
KNFSF secretary general Ezra Olodi said farmers will only stick to the task force that was instituted by the president to address the issue of payment a sit was the only way of sorting the stalemate faced by farmers.
“We are fully supporting the task force instituted by the President to tackle farmers’ issues because the payment is long overdue,” said Olodi.
The leaders called upon the government to fight runaway corruption in the sugar sector just as it has been the case in other departments.
“We would like to see the ethics and anti-corruption commission addressing the rampant cases of corruption in this department as witnessed in other government departments,” Olodi said.
This move comes ahead of the Senate agriculture committee tour of the Nyanza region set for this Friday.