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The Committees on Agriculture and Livestock and Finance and National Planning are meeting with stakeholders on the revival and commercialization of state-owned sugar companies.
The meetings are being held under the leadership of Hon. Dr. John Mutunga, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Livestock, and Hon. Kuria Kimani, Chairman of the Committee on Finance and National Planning.
The meetings are being held with Members of the County Assemblies and Members of Parliament from the Western and Nyanza regions, where the sugar companies are located.
The stakeholders are being asked to give their views on the National Treasury Memorandum on Action Plans to Revive and Commercialize the State-Owned Sugar Companies.
The sugar companies in Kenya have been struggling for many years, and the government has been looking for ways to revive them. The National Treasury Memorandum proposes a number of measures, including;
• Privatizing some of the companies
• Investing in new technologies
• Reducing the cost of production
• Improving marketing and distribution
The stakeholders are being asked to give their views on these measures, and to suggest any other measures that they believe would be helpful.
The committees will then compile a report on the findings of the meetings and make recommendations to the government.
The meetings are expected to continue for the next few weeks. The government is hoping to have a plan in place to revive the sugar companies by the end of the year.
In a statement, Hon. Mutunga said that the meetings were an important opportunity to get the views of the stakeholders. He said that the government was committed to reviving the sugar companies, and that the meetings would help to ensure that the best possible plan was put in place.
Hon. Kimani said that the government was aware of the challenges facing the sugar companies, and that it was working hard to find solutions.
He said that the meetings were a positive step forward, and that he was confident that the government would be able to revive the sugar industry.
The meetings are expected to conclude in the next few weeks.
