The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
Related Articles
Sugarcane farmers have strongly opposed the government’s move to reduce the minimum price of cane from Sh5,750 to Sh5,500 per tonne, warning that the decision could trigger a sector-wide strike and push many growers out of the industry.
In a statement, farmers represented by the Sugar Campaign for Change (Sucam) said the price cut threatens their livelihoods and weakens ongoing efforts to stabilise the sugar sector.
Click here to join our WhatsApp Channel
Sucam chairperson Saulo Busolo argued that the revised price is unsustainable and fails to match the rising cost of production.
“We firmly reject the government’s decision to lower the minimum sugarcane price,” he said, adding that the move undermines farmers who have endured years of delayed payments, unstable markets, and uncertainty.
Farmers insist that the Sh5,500 rate falls below production costs, pointing to increased expenses in land preparation, seed materials, fertilisers, agrochemicals, transport, and labour.
They warned that continued reliance on administratively set prices could drive small-scale farmers away from cane farming altogether.
The farmers also faulted both millers and government policies, accusing them of worsening the situation by allowing excessive sugar imports that have flooded the local market and driven prices down.
They claimed millers, after benefiting from import licences, are now shifting the burden of declining prices and high operational costs onto farmers.
“It is unfair for the government to shield millers who have saturated the market with imported sugar, then turn around and reduce farmers’ earnings,” the statement noted.
Separately, the Kenya Sugarcane Growers Association also rejected the new pricing and warned of possible industrial action.
Secretary-General Richard Ogendo said farmers could halt cane deliveries if the decision is not reversed.
“We reject the new price and are advising farmers to clear any remaining stock as we prepare to issue a nationwide strike notice,” he said.
He added that the association plans to engage the Consumer Federation of Kenya to support efforts to overturn the decision, noting that thousands of livelihoods are at stake.
Farmers are now demanding an immediate reversal of the price reduction and the restoration of a minimum price that reflects actual production costs.
They are also calling for an end to administrative pricing in favour of a transparent, market-driven system, along with stricter regulation of sugar imports.
They warned that maintaining the current pricing could force many farmers to abandon sugarcane farming, risking widespread job losses and destabilising rural economies that depend on the crop.
“The government must decide whether to support farmers and stabilise the sector or continue with policies that could collapse the sugarcane economy,” Busolo said.
