Mordernise sugar production methods to compete with fellow cane growers

When I wrote on the so-called agreement between President Uhuru Kenyatta and President Yoweri Museveni for Uganda to sell “cheap” sugar to Kenya while Kenya sells beef and milk to Uganda, I was not oblivious to the imperatives of both countries belonging to COMESA and the East African Community as well. Notwithstanding all that, President Kenyatta had asserted in his speech at the KICC that he preferred importing “cheap” sugar from Uganda rather than do so from Brazil, hence the agreement.

My question was; did Uganda at that point in time produce extra “cheap” sugar to sell to Kenya? The answer obviously is in the negative. Another question was: did Uganda have the right to sell whatever sugar it has from whatever source to Kenya? The answer is not at all: we still have another year of protection to ensure our sugar production becomes competitive within the COMESA trading block. After that year is over, cheap sugar from Uganda could as well drop on us in thousands of tonnes if our production continues to be non-competitive?