South Nyanza Sugar Company (Sony Sugar) has announced plans that will see the sugar miller increase sugarcane production from 1,000 to 2,700 tonnes per day within the next five years.
Through its 2024-2029 strategic plan the sugar miller also plans to among others, expand cane cultivation from 6,100 to 12,100 hectares as it targets to focus more on farmers welfare.
“The focus must shift to the farmers because sugar is not made in factories, it is made in the farms. We want every sugarcane farmer from Migori to Busia and Kwale to benefit from their hard work,” said Nicholas Gumbo Chairperson of the Kenya Sugar Board.
Besides agricultural expansion Sony Sugar also plans to to modernize its factory in Awendo in Migori County, ensure financial stability, enhance market competitiveness and strengthen the miller’s role in Kenya’s sugar sector.
The new strategic plan will incorporate environmental sustainability practices, technology adoption and innovation; focused on reducing carbon emissions as well as data-driven decision-making to enhance competitiveness and resilience.
In addition, the plan will also prioritise regulatory compliance, governance transparency and legal challenges, as well as ensure adherence to industry regulation, ethical business practice and governance standards to mitigate risks associated with political interference, corruption and mismanagement.
According to Sony Sugar Managing Director Martine Dima the strategic plan would increase the area under cane by cultivating non-traditional areas like Nyatike, Gem, Rangwe and Kuria areas since they have completed the soil analysis and the areas are suitable to plant canes.
He disclosed that the plan aims to increase the area under cane to produce 410,000 metric tonnes of sugar cane annually to 635,000 metric tonnes in terms of cane deliveries by 2029, a 55pc.
The previous strategic plan (2018-2023) saw a period marked by various challenges including a decline in sugar cane production, factory inefficiencies and financial constraints; factors that led to missed targets and operational hurdles for Sony-Sugar.
During this period, the sugar cane production declined from 158,179 tonnes in 2019/2020 to 114,572 tonnes in 2020/2011 falling short of the projected targets.
