The decline in sugarcane production has resulted in an increase in sugar import this year. The import rose to 61 per cent in 2019 as compared with the previous year.
According to Sugar Directorate, in 2019, 4,58,631 tonnes of sugar was imported compared to 2,84,169 tonnes in the previous year.
The report by the Directorate states that, “The increase in the domestic demand and the less sugar production in the year 2019 resulted into a hike in the sugar import to meet the domestic demand.”
Sugar production in 2019 was 4,40,935 tonnes compared with 491,097 tonnes in 2018 which indicates 10% drop in production. The decline is attributed to the less cane available for crushing.
Kenya is planning to increase the area under sugarcane cultivation to increase sugar production to support domestic need. Sugarcane farmers in the country claim that they are facing huge losses due to the cheap sugar import in Kenya.
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