Cane growers in Mumias, West Kenya and Butali are watching helplessly as the cane on their farms turn into a yellowish colour, then brown before wilting under the intensity of the blazing sun. Sugar millers in the region said the drought could disrupt the normal cane cycle and trigger shortages that could affect production in the next 12 months.
Butali Sugar managing director Jayantlal Patel said the drought had badly affected the crop. “If the situation persists, the 2018 sugarcane cycle will be completely disrupted, leading to shortages,” said Mr Patel, adding that the government should look into the possibility of setting up irrigations schemes in sugarcane growing zones.
He said because of a looming shortage, millers in some parts were harvesting and crushing cane that had not reached maturity. In Matungu Constituency, farmers have given up hope after large tracts of sugarcane farms dried up. Kenya National Farmers Sugarcane Federation deputy secretary Simeon Wesechere said the situation was bleak for farmers.
“The government needs to urgently come up with measures to cushion sugarcane farmers from losses due to the drought. Many families relying on sugarcane for a livelihood have been badly affected,” said Mr Wesechere.
He said desperation had set in after the drought devastated thousands of acres of sugarcane farms in the region in the last three months. In Kakamega County, sugarcane is the main cash crop and the region’s economic lifeline.
Mr Wesechere said the government needs to urgently come up with a mechanism to compensate farmers affected by the drought. At Mumias Sugar, chief human resource and administration officer Moses Owino said the firm was assessing the situation to determine the impact of the drought on its operations.
“We are still consulting on the matter and looking at how it is likely to affect our operations in the long term before coming up with a detailed statement,” said Mr Owino.
[crp]
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