Nairobi: Leasing four public sugar mills to private operators has helped improve factory operations, stabilise payments to sugarcane farmers, and restore confidence in the industry. About 80 per cent of workers in state-owned sugar factories have been retained by the new lease operators, part of ongoing efforts to revive the struggling sector, the government told The Star.
тАЬAround 80 per cent of workers in these factories have been absorbed by the new lease operators,тАЭ said Agriculture Principal Secretary Paul Ronoh on Wednesday. He added that the government is addressing salary issues to ensure workers receive their dues promptly.
Ronoh said the government has been working closely with labour unions to clear outstanding payments owed to employees. тАЬWe have met with the union and will honour our commitment to pay sugar workers their back salaries and other dues,тАЭ he said.
The PS added that the reforms are part of a broader plan to make the sugar sector financially stable and operationally efficient. Farmers are already seeing benefits. тАЬWith the four sugar mills leased, farmers are now receiving better prices for their cane,тАЭ he said.
The new management framework aims to improve factory efficiency, attract investment, ensure timely payments to farmers, and protect workersтАЩ jobs. тАЬThe goal is a sustainable sugar sector where farmers earn more, factories run efficiently, and workers have job security,тАЭ Ronoh said.
Ronoh spoke at Athi River Railway Station, where he flagged off two million bags of fertiliser under the National Fertiliser Subsidy Programme ahead of the long rains planting season.
