The Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) has suspended milling operations in the Lower and Upper Western sugar belt for three months due to a severe shortage of mature sugarcane.

In a statement issued by Acting CEO Jude Chesire, the board said the decision follows broad consultations with sector stakeholders and aims to curb further losses to farmers and millers caused by premature harvesting.

“This shutdown is necessary due to a mismatch between cane supply and processing capacity, which has forced millers to harvest immature cane,” said Chesire. “The result has been reduced yields and economic losses for farmers.”

The shutdown will affect key sugar-producing counties. In the Lower Western region, this includes Mumias, Busia, and Siaya. In the Upper Western zone, operations will pause in Bungoma, Kakamega, Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, and northern parts of Nandi.

The decision was reached during a stakeholders' forum held on July 4 at Kisumu’s Sarova Imperial Hotel, where participants agreed that existing cane stocks cannot support continued milling.

Effective July 14, all milling activities in the affected zones will halt to allow for crop regeneration. During the suspension, KSB will carry out a Cane Availability Survey within two months to determine mature cane volumes and guide the resumption of operations based on sustainable supply.

“All sugar factories must prioritize robust cane development to ensure sufficient raw material in the long term,” Chesire said, underlining the need for strategic planning to safeguard the industry’s future.

Though the move is expected to disrupt sugar output in the short term, the regulator insists it is a necessary step to stabilize the sector and protect growers from the economic harm of underdeveloped crops.