Writes Leo Odera Omolo
The raw involving the harvesting of mature sugar cane crops has intensified in Migori, Rono,Tans-Mara, Uriri, Ndhiwa and Awendo districts.
The competition over the aw cane is between the long established wholly-government owned SonySugar Company limited and the two newly established Sukari Industries in Ndhiwa and the Trans-Mara Sugar Company, which is located in Trans-Mara district in the South Rift region.
The three sugar manufacturing companies are currently engaged in cut-throat competition for sugarcane harvesting war, which is increasing causing insecurity in the regions.
Whereas the Awendo-based Sonysugar Company, which as been in the business in the area for close to 30 years has been working in liaison with local farmers in and preparation and cultivating and planting of cane in the plots owned by the small scale out-growers farmers.None of the two new sugar factories were has its own nucleus cane growing estate, whereas SonySugar in addition to supporting the local cane farmers has its own 6,000 hectare eneucus estate where it is growing its own cane for raw materials.
Before a sugar mill is established the investors or its owner must ensure they planed several acres of raw cane, either their own, or in collaboration with local growers to ensure that its operations is interrupted by acute shortage of raw cane. This was not in the case of several makeshift sugar mills recently established in Western Kenya and is the cause of the current life threatening cut-throat competition for the raw cane own being witnessed in Southern Nyanza.
A source at the Sonysugar company blames the Provnial Administration and the police authorities in Migori, Ndhiwa, Awendo, Rongo and Tans-Mara districts for complacency and laxity.
The source said numerous reports have been made to the police repeatedly, and it appears as if they have been compromised by the management of the news sugar mills who are blamed for accepting for crashing the raw cane suspected to have been stolen from SonySugar cane growing zones. The thieves don’t even spare the already harvested and staked cane left in the filed while awiting for transportation the next morning.
The alarming theft of raw cane has now forced Sony Sugar to engage extra night guards to keep vigil at all cane harvest fields. Such theft usually ends up in the close to disturbances of peace and tranquility and encourages lawlessness.
SonySugar it is moderately being estimated to have lost close to Ksh 100 million in the recent past throgh illegal theft of it raw cane in the field. The company apart from incurring losses by way of paying the harassing team is deploying day and night guards to guard cane in the field.
One senior Administration Police Officer who owns a popular public join at the nearby Ranen Market, which is only 6 kilometer from the SonySugar plan is susepected to be collaborating with criminal thugs suspecting of sealing the company’s raw cane from the field. Most of the suspects have be market.
OCPD in-charge charge of Migori, Rongo and Ndhwa Police Stations who have been scathingly criticized and adversely mentioned for not helping the situation could not be reached for their immediate comments the Migori , Uriri Awendo and and Rongo D.Cs.were also not available for comments.
One experts who is a player in the industry said in Awendo Town that if the situation is allowed to continue as its today, SonySugar will be forced to close down its business operations after incurring millions of shillings of liabilities through this kind of cut-throat competition.
The massive theft of cane in the field and unauthorized harvesting of immature cane crops is not only hurting sonysugar company economically, but the loses also is being spilt into the economic gains of the small scale cane growers.
The government through the Ministry of Agriculture, Provincial Administration and the police authorities should move with speed to ensure that the that the situation is harmonized.
The public servants who are suspected to have been compromised and not doing anything to arrest the situation should be transferred to other stations. Those who have served in the region for too long should be shown exit door.
Ends