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{
"id": 763180,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/763180/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Melly",
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"speaker": {
"id": 12849,
"legal_name": "Julius Kipbiwot Melly",
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"content": "THAT, aware that apathy in sugar-cane farming due to unfavourable weather patterns and poor payment programmes by sugar millers to farmers has resulted in a worrying drop in cane production and thus drop in sugar production; noting that millers have for years frustrated farmers through delays in payment for cane delivered; concerned that these late payments have caused sugar farmers untold suffering and frustrations and made them incur huge losses resulting from interests on loans advanced to them during cane farming to purchase fertilizers and other farm inputs; cognisant of the fact that as a result of these delayed payments, many of the farmers have remained poor and in debt, this House urges the cane millers to provide for the mandatory payment to cane farmers within fourteen days (14) days upon delivery. Hon. Speaker, I brought this Motion to the House with the background that I am from the sugar-cane growing zone. Sugar-cane growing in this country supports over 10 million people in the Rift Valley, Western, Nyanza and parts of Coast. However, these people have gone through untold suffering. First, they are very diligent farmers who invest their money in their farms, wait for 18 months, harvest diligently, most of them even invest their savings and take it to the miller. However, the miller will crush the cane and get the milled white sugar, but fail to pay the farmer even when the miller has sold the sugar. If you go to a number of factories across the country, be it Mumias, Chemilil or Muhoroni sugar factories, you will find that they have no sugar in their stores. Right now, we have a sugar shortage yet the miller is unable to pay. Over the years, Kenya has been a very good sugar producer. However, we are becoming a net importer of sugar. The other day, the National Treasury issued a circular asking millers to import sugar, yet a few minutes ago, we discussed the National Land Use Policy. The paper in itself is very scholarly. We have very fertile farmlands across this country, but farmers are frustrated because they are not paid. Each and every time, the miller needs to be supported. I am asking this House, whose Members are the representatives of the people, and more so the Member from those regions, to make sure that millers pay the farmer on time upon delivery of sugar-cane. If you go to the tea factories, you deliver and on the sixth day, the farmer is paid. In my constituency, which is almost 90 per cent a sugar-cane growing area, farmers wait for up to two years to be paid for sugar-cane deliveries. Millers sell the sugar, but fail to pay farmers. Currently, new millers from private companies have joined the queue. Even if they sell all the sugar, they do not pay farmers for the cane delivered. Most of the farmers took loans from the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC), from banks and micro finance corporations to finance The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}