A sugar manufacturers lobby has called for the lifting on the importation of cane ban that has led to a supply shortage and affected the operations of most millers. Just last week, the management of the Busia Sugar Industry issued a notice to fire hundreds of workers due to crippled operations caused by the ban. Owing to a cane shortage in the county, sugar factories had resorted to sourcing the crop from Ugandan farmers who have a surplus. In the letter, KESMA says that lifting the ban on importing the cane from Uganda will cause no conflict of interest as local supply is currently insufficient. In July, Agriculture CS Peter Munya banned brown sugar imports as part of measures to protect the local industry and curb cheap illegal sugar.

Source: Standard Digital August 05, 2020 18:11 UTC