Mumias Sugar Company has assured farmers of its commitment to ensure it increases cane yields in sugarcane farms.
While addressing farmers during the handover of cheques to Walatsi farmers group in Nambale the manager for Corporate Affairs and Strategic Planning Moses Owino said that they are at a process of teaching farmers different techniques that will increase the yield of their canes.
“The use of organic fertilizers and sugarcane byproducts like molasses, sugarcane leaves can lead to the increase of cane yields.” Owino said.
“There are several farmers who are getting more than 100 tons from their farms because of this.” He added.
Owino further said that they are now giving farmers cows as a source of income through the Mumias Sugar Foundation which begun in 2012 since sugarcane takes around 18 months to mature.
He said that there are over 30 groups that have been given cows with each group consisting of around 30 farmers where when a cow gives birth the calf is given to the next member to ensure everybody gets a cow.
He encouraged farmers to go back to their farms and plant sugarcane in plenty as the company depends on them remarks that were echoed by Mumias Sugar Outgrowers Association chairman Saint Gabriel Rodriguez.
Rodriguez told farmers that there was a lot of land lying idle and his main goal is to make sure that those lands are planted sugarcane for the sake of farmers.
Owino told farmers to embrace the culture of insuring their crops especially sugarcane and animals so as incase of any misfortune they are compensated as a way of getting back to their feet remarks that were seconded by APA manager of Agribusiness Erastus Ndege.
Ndege told farmers to be friends with insurance firms as a way to safeguard their crops in case of any eventuality.
He added that they have partnered with Mumias Sugar for a long time and today was a milestone as they were presenting a check to Mzee Pius Mutimba who had lost his cow that was given to the group through the Mumias Foundation.
He also informed farmers that they have partnered with the national government to introduce a new insurance product this year that is insuring maize farmers in Bumula constituency which will be rolled out with time asking farmers to embrace it when it come to their areas