Let's get to the bottom of Kenya’s sugar woes

NAIROBI: The sugar industry supports well over 300,000 small-scale farmers in the Western, Nyanza and Coastal regions of Kenya and it is estimated that over six million others make their livelihood either directly or indirectly from this crop. The sector saves the country about Sh50 billion in foreign exchange every year from sugar that is produced from about a dozen public and private sugar factories.

 

The country produces about 70 per cent of the sugar it needs, that is, about 500,000 metric tonnes compared to an annual demand of 700,000 metric tonnes. But, for many years, the industry has always remained in constant danger of collapsing mostly due to a myriad of problems. The sector is seen as strategic since it helps improve food security, rural incomes and provides important raw materials for several industries.