Sugar millers given seven days to pay farmers under new rule
The Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) has ordered sugar millers to pay cane farmers within seven days of receiving their deliveries as it moves to address delayed payments and irregularities at weighbridges. The board said the seven-day payment period will be included in contracts and licensing conditions, with millers who delay payments facing interest charges and […]
The Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) has directed sugar millers to pay farmers within seven days of receiving their cane deliveries. This new rule aims to address payment delays and irregularities at weighbridges. Millers found in breach of the seven-day payment period will face interest charges and other penalties. KSB CEO Jude Chesire emphasized the need to eliminate a practice where farmers waited indefinitely for payment after delivering cane.
The board will enforce these new requirements, focusing on timely harvesting permits to ensure farmers harvest mature cane instead of leaving it in fields. The KSB also plans to procure mobile weighbridges to independently verify factory weighing systems for accurate cane deliveries. Additionally, the board is supporting cane-testing units to move towards quality-based payments.
Millers have until September 10 to publish harvesting frameworks outlining the scheduling, transportation, and delivery of cane. These measures come as Kenya's sugar production, which reached 815,454 metric tonnes in 2024, shows signs of recovery after a decline in 2025. Despite production increases, demand remains high at about 1.216 million tonnes annually, with the government aiming to reduce imports of refined sugar by boosting cane production and mill efficiency.
Written by urgent.news from People Daily Kenya's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
