Kenya Sugar Board launches guide to boost productivity, sustainability in sugarcane farming

KENYA – The Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) has unveiled a comprehensive guide designed to empower sugarcane farmers with best practices to improve productivity and sustainability.  

The guide, developed with support from GIZ and the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), offers practical solutions to common challenges while promoting modern farming techniques that ensure profitability and environmental sustainability. 

The Kenya Sugar Industry Grower’s Guide addresses all stages of the sugarcane farming cycle, from land preparation and planting to harvesting and post-harvest handling.  

GIZ Project Manager David Kersting highlighted that the guide incorporates modern agricultural research findings tailored to Kenya’s diverse agro-ecological zones. This approach ensures that farmers can maximise yields while maintaining soil health and preventing degradation. 

Kersting emphasized the initiative’s focus on developing a robust and sustainable sugar sector based on agroecological principles, which are critical for long-term success in the industry. 

KSB Chairman Nicholas Gumbo stated that the guide is part of a broader strategy to revive Kenya’s struggling sugar sector, which has faced numerous challenges over the years.  

Gumbo explained that the guide aims to lower the cost of sugarcane development, ultimately ensuring better returns for farmers. 

“Our goal is to double yields per hectare to meet local demand and create surplus for export,” Gumbo said. 

The board also plans to promote sugarcane value chain development, enabling farmers and millers to explore diverse opportunities beyond sugar production.  

Gumbo highlighted the potential of sugarcane by-products, such as biofuel, industrial alcohol, spirits, briquettes, and paper, to boost income and sustainability. 

“We want our farmers to stop viewing sugarcane solely as a source of sugar. By diversifying into other products, we can build a climate-resilient economy and reduce production costs,” he added. 

To support diversification, KSB is training farmers on producing briquettes from bagasse, a sugarcane by-product. This initiative is expected to lower production costs and ultimately reduce the price of sugar in Kenya. 

KSB Acting Chief Executive Officer Jude Cheserem underscored the board’s commitment to driving innovation in the sector.  

He noted the importance of adopting modern technology, such as drones, to improve efficiency in activities like the sugar census. 

“The manual census process is tedious. Drone technology, currently being piloted, will be a game changer for planning and managing the crop,” Cheserem said. 

He also encouraged millers to embrace technology to enhance milling efficiency and explore new products along the sugarcane value chain. 

The board is working to enact regulatory measures to strengthen production, improve milling efficiency, and provide funding to stabilize the sector 

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