Relief For Sugarcane Farmers As Government Sets 7-Day Payment Deadline

Sugarcane farmers can expect quicker payment for their harvests after the government rolled out a new directive compelling millers to settle payments within seven days of cane delivery or face financial penalties, including interest charges on any delay.

The Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) says the rule is designed to put an end to the drawn-out payment delays that have long frustrated growers, some of whom have waited weeks, even months, to get paid after delivering their cane.

Speaking on Thursday, August 27, KSB Chief Executive Officer Jude Chesire said the regulator is also stepping up efforts to shield farmers from losses tied to weighing malpractice at the point of delivery.

Chesire revealed that some farmers have been shortchanged by as much as three tonnes of cane per trailer, a pattern he attributed to suspected manipulation at weighbridges.

To tackle this, KSB is in the process of acquiring mobile weighbridges that will allow for independent, on-the-spot verification of cane weights, a move meant to tighten oversight across the industry.

He added that the government is also rolling out cane-testing units as part of a broader shift toward a quality-based payment model, one that would price cane according to its sugar content rather than weight alone.

“KSB is procuring mobile weighbridges to independently verify cane weights and strengthen enforcement. The Government has also invested in cane-testing units as the industry moves towards a payment system that considers quality and sugar content rather than relying solely on weight,” Chesire said.

In a related push to bring more order to the sector, sugar millers have been given until September 10, 2026, to put in place clear cane-harvesting schedules. According to Chesire, the goal is to smooth out harvesting, transport and delivery timelines, and cut down on the delays that often leave ripe cane sitting and losing quality in farmers’ fields.

The KSB boss also pointed to the bigger economic picture, noting that Kenya spends roughly Ksh30 billion annually importing white refined sugar, even though the country has the capacity to grow far more of it domestically.

To change that, the government wants to keep more of that money circulating locally by boosting cane production, raising farm productivity and expanding the country’s sugar-refining capacity.

As an immediate step in that direction, Chesire said Kenya has already begun refining imported raw sugar locally, rather than depending entirely on imports of finished, refined sugar.

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