Is Kenya’s Sh55b sugar industry worth fighting to save?

NAIROBI: There has been debate about Kenya’s options as regards the sugar industry. The discussions from both sides, however, have been more political than entirely factual and could, therefore, be misleading.

The truth is that small-scale farmers in Western Kenya — who are the backbone of the $540 million (Sh55 billion) industry that supports six million people — regularly sell their crop to roadside buyers rather than honour contracts with millers, who provide inputs in exchange for sugarcane.