The president of Kenya, William Ruto, has provided an explanation for the recent increase in sugar prices.
Speaking on Wednesday, Ruto claimed that disputes and confusion within the sugar industry were to blame for the increase.
He claimed that in spite of this, the administration is making an equally strong effort to organise all sectors.
“We’ve had confusion and chaos in the whole sugar sub-sector and we are streamlining that sector because the whole sugarcane sector has been riddled with all manner of confusion and poaching of sugarcane from one corner to another,” Ruto said.
“The other is everybody is refusing to work in accordance with the law in fact the reason why many sugar companies have closed shop temporarily is because there is no cane to harvest. They were even harvesting cane that is not mature.”
The President stated that while it is true that costs are high, continuing discussions with the appropriate entities are being made in an effort to streamline the industry.
Ruto pointed out that the state has purposefully refrained from importing sugar, adding that importation has in the past been utilised to attempt and destroy Kenya’s sugar economy.
“It is true prices have gone up. We have been reluctant to work against farmers by opening importation. It has always been a problem in Kenya. Sometimes it has been used to destroy the sugar industry,” he said.
However, the head of state claimed that permission for the importation of sugar had already been granted and that prices should begin to decline in the following week or two.
“By mid of this month, we will see a different situation pertain sugar because that is when we expect the first stocks of sugar to come into the country,” the President said.
Ruto declared that he now has a thorough strategy for streamlining the sugar industry.
by: BRIAN ORUTA