Agriculture Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Andrew Tuimur. FILE PHOTO | NMG
The sugar task force report has been validated, paving the way
for implementation of a raft of measures that the government has
proposed for the revival of the ailing sector.
Agriculture
Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Andrew Tuimur said stakeholders
agreed on the contentious issues that nearly jeopardised validation of
the report ahead of the Monday deadline.
Farmers on Saturday opposed sections of the report, especially the one on cane zones.
“The stakeholders agreed on most of the issues and the report was validated on Saturday,” said Dr Tuimur in an interview.
The
CAS said the report will be presented to President Kenyatta later this
week or next week depending on the State House schedule.
The
task force was meant to finish its work in January but the timelines
were interrupted after farmers rejected a stakeholders' meeting that was
to be held with the members of the committee. The cane producers
demanded payment of their dues before agreeing to meeting the team.
Late last year, Mr Kenyatta ordered the Agriculture ministry to
relook cane and sugar pricing mechanisms, review importation and
taxation structures, and get consensus on the fate of State-owned
millers.
The task force, which is led by Kakamega
Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, appointed last October by the ministry to
spearhead reforms, said it suspended the public participation forums
“until the State releases the Sh2.7 billion owed to farmers.”
Payment of arrears
So
far the government has released more than Sh2 billion towards the
payment of the arrears that have been accumulating for the last couple
of years.
The payment enabled the task force to meet the growers in three regions on what they want for revival of the ailing industry.
The maize task force validated its report last month but it is yet to be made public.
The government is keen to revive agriculture and is using the task force committee's report to address the plight of farmers.
There has been another parallel sugar task force that has been collecting views from farmers.
Officials
of the Sugar Campaign for Change have been moving across the country
seeking views from farmers and they had said they would hand in their
findings to Kilimo House.
However, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri said he would not receive the report from the lobby.
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