Kisumu County Governor Jack Ranguma has underscored the need to organize sugarcane farmers into cooperatives to be able to purchase shares in the sugar mills during privatization.
Ranguma said cooperative societies have died in the county, and must be revived for the benefit of the farmers.
The Governor said poor management of the cooperatives has led to their collapse, and his government has formed a policy on cooperative management in the county.
He said his governments will employment professionals to help farmers run the cooperatives.
“My government will fully pay the professionals but the farmers will run the cooperatives,” he said.
Speaking in Kisumu, Ranguma said farmers will own the cooperatives but the county government will pay the professionals.
However, the governor noted that he has looked at the privatization structure for the offloading of the shares at the government owned millings.
Ranguma said agriculture has been devolved and proposed that sugar factories should be under the management of the counties.
“The county must have a say on the factories since agriculture has been devolved,” he said.
He said counties should be allowed to have a say in such sugar factories, and make decisions that will help the farmers reap from their sweat.