Sugarcane factories call for state action against poaching threatening small millers

MOSES WEKESA-KNA 

Sugarcane factories are urging the government to intervene and stop poaching, which threatens the survival of small millers. They expressed concern that their investments are being undermined by larger millers who entice and deceive farmers with promises they have not fulfilled.

Busia Sugar Factory and Olepito Sugar Factory from the Lower Western Region have accused their competitors in other catchment areas of invading their contracted farmers while engaging in blame games. This frustration has led Olepito to suspend investment in cane at times due to the losses incurred.

Speaking during a meeting that brought together millers from Western Kenya, Gerald Okoth, the General Manager of Olepito Sugar Factory, stated that the company provides services such as fertilizer and land preparation for cane development to its contracted farmers, expecting to crush the cane and recover its investment.

Calling for government intervention, Okoth decried that their competitors are breaching the contractual law that stipulates that the contract will last for up to three harvests before a farmer decides otherwise.

The millers are required to get the first crop from the contracted farmers which is called a plan crop, the second harvest which is called a first ratoon and the third one known as a second ratoon. “After that the farmer can still continue if he has maintained the cane properly but most farmers do lease fields for probably five to six years.

The reason for that investment was not to give a loan to the farmer, it was to invest to enable the farmer to proceed and develop more cane,” Mr. Okoth said.

The other affected company, Nzoia Sugar Company from Upper Western catchment area has reported losing 469 hectares estimated at 40,000 tons to poaching. The company reports that as a result of the heavy poaching by other millers on their fields, it has not been able to recover a whopping Sh58 million of inputs advanced to farmers as investment.

The miller is currently operating at 50 per cent of its milling capacity in line with the available cane, noting that with the massive invasion of its farms by its competitors the availability of mature cane is being affected. To sustain its operations, Nzoia Sugar plans to plant 2,500 hectares of cane for the current season having already reached the 1,000 hectares mark both in the nucleus and the out grower sectors.

The same fate of poaching has fallen on West Kenya Sugar Factory from Upper Western Region, which has reported that it is staring at losing Sh400 million of investment in cane due to poaching, and particularly Sh150 million due to the closure of the Khalaba region where it had invested in cane development.

“We cannot lose Sh400 million and we start sitting back and say that things will go as normal, we can’t accept that, please give us a solution. Any miller who has lost cane through poaching and you know who poached that cane and you have records, it should be discussed and a solution arrived at,” David Okumu, a representative from West Kenya Sugar Company said.

The Factory has planted sugarcane on 13,800 acres in West Kenya- Kakamega and another 22,000 acres in Naitiri to sustain company operations.