Sugar firm lauded for embracing irrigation

By Philip Mwakio

Kwale International Sugar Company Limited (Kiscol) has won accolades for increasing productivity through the latest agri-based farming technologies.

Speaking at the Kiscol site office in Ramisi, Kwale county, Muhoroni Sugarcane Outgrowers Company (Musoco) Chairman Kilion Osur said Kiscol’s use of drip irrigation was a milestone in cane farming.

"This move in an area where there is insufficient rain is laudable and should be emulated by other cane growing entities in drier regions," said Osur.

Osur urged farmers in Kwale to embrace cane farming, which he said was a very viable venture.

At the Kiscol farm, water from a dam with a capacity of 2.7 million cubic metres is pumped and sprinkled on 100 hectares of seed cane nursery, which will be transplanted to a 1,000 hectare cane farm.

Kenya Sugar Board Head of Agriculture Frederick Kebeney who had accompanied officials from Musoco and West Kenya Sugar Outgrowers Company said that they were happy with the implementation of drip irrigation by Kiscol.

"We are optimistic that Kiscol will be on course to start crushing by next year and help mitigate on sugar shortage," he said.

Kebeney said that once operational, Kiscol will inject upto 90,000 metric tonnes of sugar which will help reduce the 200,000 metric tonnes deficit the country currently faces.

Kiscol has invested in a multi-billion shilling cane farm and three in one milling plant at the defunct Ramisi Sugar Factory in Kwale. Construction of the $200 million Kwale-based factory is expected to start in May this year with first crushing expected next year.

The factory will have a daily crushing capacity of 3,000 metric tonnes of sugarcane (which will be increased to 5,000) and make 30,000 litres (7,925 gallons) of ethanol a day.

The Kiscol plant will also generate 18 megawatts of electricity, some of which will be for factory work and the remainder sold to the national electricity grid.