Act now to save bitter sugar sector

The once vibrant sugar industry is on its deathbed. When sugarcane farming thrived, towns such as Chemelil, Ramisi, Miwani, Nzoia and Mumias were full of life. Today, they are a pale shadow of their former selves. 

As of 2018, Kenya’s domestic sugar production could only satisfy half of the consumption needs. Local sugar mills produced 491,097 tonnes, 57 per cent of the domestic consumption that currently stands at 850,000 tonnes.