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{
    "id": 770935,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/770935/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 171,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Walter John Owino",
    "speaker_title": "The Member for Awendo",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13292,
        "legal_name": "John Walter Owino",
        "slug": "john-walter-owino-2"
    },
    "content": " Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, sugarcane and table sugar production has reduced significantly in the past year, that is from 50,000 metric tonnes to less than 15,000 metric tonnes per month. I believe this has been attributed to high cost of production, cane poaching by some millers, absence of sugar industry agreement binding all growers, millers and other stakeholders, weak regulatory framework and enforcement mechanisms, import dependency, collapsed sugarcane growers institutions among others. The drop in sugarcane and table sugar production has resulted in shortage which has increased poaching and other incidences of violent conflicts. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the poaching done by private millers has negatively affected the Government-owned millers to an extent that some of them have closed down. Cane growers are vulnerable to poachers, milling plants have shut down, there is weakening of publicly owned millers’ balance sheets and employees layoffs due to lack of work. It is also worth noting that some private millers import workers from their respective countries and this has rendered our locals jobless. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, traditionally, the Kenya sugarcane growing is operated on small scale out-growers model where farmers are supported with inputs and services on credit to grow contract sugarcane on their farms by State-owned millers. The millers thereafter recover cost of production from farmers after harvest and delivery to their mills. State-owned millers lose heavily in events where canes developed by themselves are poached by millers who never spent a penny to develop the sugarcane. The genesis of the current extended poaching is attributed to weak non-adherence to sugar regulations, cane growing contracts and best practice in regard to licensing of sugar mills. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I therefore, urge the Government through State Department of Agriculture and Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) to consider reintroducing Sugar Development Levy to revive small out-growers companies; to immediately gazette sugar regulations regarding licensing of sugar factories and compliance requirement to ensure sugarcane supply contracts are provided as proof of availability of adequacy of sugarcane supply and are adhered to as a precondition for annual licensing of cane millers; and that cane contractual agreements by both cane millers and farmers are honoured. I would also like to 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."
}