Fires ravage cane farms as company projects heavy losses

A worker cuts some of the cane that remained after a fierce fire razed a sugarcane plantation in Awendo. [PHOTO: STANLEY ONGWAE/STANDARD]

MIGORI: The South Nyanza (Sony) Sugar Company could have incurred heavy losses as a result of fires that have ravaged more than 1,000 acres of cane.

The fires have been aggravated by the persistent drought that has run for over four months.

According to the company's Managing Director Jane Odhiambo, the company may have incurred losses amounting to hundreds of millions following fire incidents suspected to be the work of arsonists.

On Monday evening, at least 20 acres of sugarcane and a private tractor were destroyed by a fierce fire at Nyarago village in Uriri sub-county, a day before the company nucleus farm, situated along the Kokuro-Awendo Highway, caught fire, destroying cane worth Sh20 million.

The MD said the fires were believed to have been caused by a burning cigarette.

The situation has been worsened by the fact that the region has very low capacity of fighting fires.

SUSPECTED ARSON

The company has a fire engine but according to the official, it could not be sufficient to quell the fires.

Owners of the farms where a fire razed numerous acres of cane said they had to slash fractions of their cane as a measure to prevent the fires from spreading.

"You can imagine how helpless we were without reliable means of extinguishing fires when they broke. We were left to watch as our cane went up in smoke," said Ken Oduki, a farmer in Uriri.

The MD, however, blames cane farmers for being behind many of the fires.

"We have had cases where farmers who see that their cane has delayed in farms, decide to set them on fire so as to force harvesting," said Ms Odhiambo.

"In most cases after the fire outbreak, farmers know their cane will have to be harvested within 24 hours otherwise the cane may lose its value," she added.

The officials said cane that is harvested after being burnt usually loses its sucrose content and payment to farmers diminishes in return.