The Western Kenya sugar industry; with specific reference to Nyanza and Western provinces
Abstract
This study examines "The Hestern Kenya sugar industry
with specific reference to Nyanza and Western Provinces". It
gives a detailed economic development analysis of the Western
Kenya.Sugar Industry and its general impact on both regional
!
and national economic development. This has been viewed in
II
. terms of sugar production, generation of employment opportunities
and the development and/or the establishment of development
facilities in the sugar zone.
The sugar companies and the selected samples of out grower
fanners from Nyanza and Western Provinces were interviewed using
_.
a recording schedule and through personal interviews. Direct
field observations, secondary data and information were also
used in data collection.
The collected data were compiled, as a first step into
Comprehensive tables, then analysed for interpretive purposes
using the location quotierrt., regional multiplier analysis and
correlation coefficient.
The principal findings resulting from the testing of
a set of hypotheses based on this study are:
a) . the location of The Western Kenya sugar industry is
apparently influenced by physical rather than economic
factors; owing to a certain anomalies in the economic
operations of the various established sugar factories.
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b). there is a very high concentration of the sugar industry
in Western Kenya as shown by a high location quotient of
8.39.
c) . the sugar industry is an important growth inducing
industry.
d) . the sugar industry had generated rnany_employment
opportunities in the area.
e). several development facilities have been developed as
Ci result of the industry in the sugar zone.
f) . the aim of the government is to be self-sufficient in
sugar production.
g) . a major-negative effect experienced in the area is
non culturaL development of sugarcane, inevitably resulting
in food shortage, in many parts of the sugar zone.
-production capacity.
The basic recommendations for future planning of the
sugar industry are:
a).sugar companies should meet their own production costs
instead of being heavily subsidized both by the out grower
farmers and the government, especially in transportation
costs. _
b) . the sugar companies should be discouraged from rejecting
any cane delivered at the factory.
c). the farmers should be offered agricultural education to
reduce their problems of food shortage and over production
of sugarcane.
d) .The government should assist the farmers in developing
essential development facilities in the sugarcane out grower
areas.
e) . sugar refineries should be established in the areas
f) . problems encountered in the sugar factories should be
rectified so that they could operate at their full capacity.
For purposes of further lines of research, it has been
suggested that intensive survey should be conducted on the Kenya
sugar industry. This should include the small sugar factories,
jaggery plants and other factories utilizing sugar by-products.
Such a study would reveal more of the regional and national benefits
of the industry.
Citation
Masters of Arts DegreePublisher
University of Nairobi Department of Geography
Description
A thesis submitted in part fulfillment for the
Degree of Master of Arts, Department of Geography,
University of Nairobi.