Farmers dislike the new lower sugarcane price and will halt deliveries to factories today.
The Sugarcane Pricing Committee, which includes AFA members, the Ministry of Agriculture, farmers, millers, and sugar-producing counties, set August’s price at Sh4,950 per tonne. This is a decrease from Sh5,125 in June and Sh6,100 in February, marking an 18.85% drop over six months.
Jude Chesire, acting director at the Sugar Directorate, said the price drop happened because the interim cane pricing committee expired. With no new Cabinet Secretary in place, the August price stays at Sh4,950 per tonne.
The AFA attributes the price cut to an oversupply of sugarcane, caused by increased production from good weather and government fertilizer subsidies. The Kenya National Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (KNFSF) rejected the new prices and demanded government intervention. KNFSF national treasurer Stephen Ole Narupa stated, “We are waiting for the government to address our demands. Farmers cannot continue if our efforts are not valued.”
AFA chairman Cornelly Serem confirmed that favorable rainfall and state fertilizer support boosted cane production.
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