Nzoia Sugar Suspends Operations Due to Shortage of Raw Materials

Nzoia Sugar Company has suspended operations due to lack of raw materials to enable sugar milling.

The company has not been operating in the past two weeks after failing to get sugarcane to mill.

The company’s Head of Communication, Gilbert Awino, said that they were facing challenges in getting cane to enable sugar milling but they were working on ways of sorting the issue.

Awino further noted that the factory was also affected by the continued poaching of its cane from contracted farmers by neighboring factories and the unfavorable weather that hit the country last year leading to the weathering of cane

“We had a challenge in developing cane during the dry season and this majorly affected our operations. We are waiting for cane from the company’s own nucleus estate to mature and for contracted farmers to deliver theirs,” said Mr.Awino

The plant will officially resume operations early August after the expected maturity of the cane. Nzoia Sugar boasts the largest cane nucleus in the region, standing at about 3,000 hectares. The factory closure comes just days after President Uhuru Kenyatta promised Sh300 million to settle debts owed to farmers by the struggling miller.

The firm’s plant is also yet to undergo its annual maintenance due to a crush crunch.

“We are soliciting funds to help us go into full maintenance…we have to ensure our machines are fully operational to avoid breakdowns that are very costly,” he said, adding that the factory has a workforce of 1,200 permanent employees and over 100 casual laborers.