The Political Economy of Sugar Production in Colonial Kenya by Wanga-Odhiambo Godriver;

Author:Wanga-Odhiambo, Godriver;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
Published: 2012-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

The Colonial State’s Control of Sugar Market, 1951–1963

The previous section demonstrated how the sugar industry picked up in the late 1940s and the total acreage increased tremendously. The Asian manufacturers gave the industry a new lease on life despite the neglect by the colonial state. Even peasant commodity production flourished, despite the dominance of European settler production.[103] Once more the contradictory nature of the colonial state was witnessed as the Asian sugarcane production experienced both support and neglect during the colonial period.

By early 1950s, the colonial state was less supportive of its sugar industry than were Kenya’s neighboring territories. This was seen in 1950 when the colonial state did not want to engage in international sugar discussions and adamantly refused to join the conference in London that was called to discuss export quotas. The colonial state, instead of attending to see how it could benefit the Asian farmers, dismissed the whole conference, arguing that Kenya had no prospects of exporting sugar in any foreseeable future, a position that was contrary to the potential of the Nyanza sugar belt.[104] The decision not to attend the conference was made partly because the colonial state saw that there was a constant demand for sugar due to the fast-growing population, a rise in purchasing power among Africans, and the new trend of adaptation to a varied diet. As such, the state adopted a policy geared toward self-sufficiency and not exports of sugar. Therefore, in 1951 the government set up prices for sugar; grade I was sold at Shs. 6.09 per pound while grade II fetched Shs. 4.85 per pound.[105] To attain their goal of self-sufficiency by 1953, the government further granted the sugar millers an increase in the price of Kenya’s white sugar in 1953, which also led to an increase in the price of sugarcane given to the growers by Miwani Sugar Mills for various varieties as follows:

Uba: Shs. 29.71 per ton

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