Naitiri Sugar: The Pain Of Sugar Farming || West Kenya Sugar Company
Sugar Farming in the Country.
Sugar Farming in the Country has become the most loved activity in some parts of the country. Just like everyone expects some profit from the work of their hands, Sugarcane farmers are not exempted from it.
Regions practising Sugar Farming
Regions practising this kind of Farming includes the whole part of the western region eg Kakamega, Kisumu, Nyamira, Kisii, Busia and Bungoma. Residents here have been planting large Sugarcane Plantation aiming at the end of it they should sell to the sugar companies in the region and earn something from it.
The cost of sugarcane farming is not a walk in the park. It all starts from the land acquisition, planting, weeding and treatment, security, fertilisers supply, Cutting, and transportation. All this is always to the shoulders of the farmers and not the company. In some instances we may witness companies supplying fertilisers but at longlast all is calculated and deducted from the farmers pay.
Problems faced by farmers
1. Seed Acquisition
Farmers get a hard time during the time of seed Acquisition. One is always supposed to apply for the companies seed in order to plant. The company officials have never given this task the easiness it is expected to be.
The whole process is revolved around corruption. We have encountered some complaints that cannot be highlighted on the site before confirming. But at this time through Tambua Africa it is their appeal to the relevant leadership to clean up the corrupt workers.
2. Cost
It is so costly to practice sugarcane Farming. For you to get a better outcome you should have atleast 3 Acre piece of land.
3. Transportation after Harvesting
Farmers have been complaining since their first day to venture into this farming activity.
Tractors to transport the harvest are allocated to a specific region for example in Tongaren we have many regions. Just to mention
- Naitiri
- Mbakalo
- Lungai
- Nasianda
- Sango
- Mitua
- Sirakaru and many more.
Tractor are not enough to carry all the sugarcane harvested but the farmers. This makes the product to decompose while others dry up in the shamba. This leads to loss of weight in Tonnes hence incurring unexpected LOSSES.
Another complaint related to transportation is insecurity of Sugarcane on the way. As they are transported, tractors and Lorries engage into accidents while others, fail engines. As Sugarcane fails to arrive the weighbridge, their has no placed compensation scheme to cover this kind of issues.
An evidence from the photo, the owner is complaining of a trailer that offloaded canes in the middle of the road. It spent a night on the road forcing the farmer to stay in cold darkness till the following day. He says indeed this is the pain of Sugarcane Farming.
4. Delayed Pay
This is another challenge in Sugarcane farming. After two years or 18 months of struggle the Sugarcane is received by the company and a farmer is asked to wait for the Pay. This takes long for them to receive their money hit their accounts.
