Sugarcane Production in the Tana Delta Region in Kenya - Case Study Example

SUGARCANE PRODUCTION IN THE TANA DELTA REGION IN KENYA Name Course Tutor Date Introduction Sugar is the largest consumed commodity across the whole world. Worldwide, sugar production id dominated by 120 countries that collectively produce about 180 million tonnes of sugar annually (Sucden.com, 2015). Of all the total annual production, sugarcane accounts for 80% of the sugar while the rest is produced from sugar beet. Sugarcane grows well in the tropical regions while the latter does pretty well in the temperate zones in the Northern hemisphere of the earth. Some of the giants known for the production of sugar include, Brazil, Russia, India, and European Union countries, Pakistan, Ukraine and Thailand (Sucden.com, 2015). The top ten countries are accountable for 75% of the total annual sugar produced all over the world. The ascendancy of the sugar market is attributed to the increase in population across the world with nearly every household consuming sugar either indirectly through other products or directly. The most traded sugar across the worldwide market is raw sugar that takes approximately 12 million tonnes annually (Sucden.com, 2015). The rate of consumption of sugar and thus demand is forecasted to rise to 2% due to the rise in middle income class and the reduction of the poverty gaps across the world. There is a need for the producing countries to extend their production so as to meet the upsurge in demands across the world (Sucden.com, 2015). There are different bodies and trade blocs that define and control the sugar market so as to ensure that there is fair competition and that each member states are guarded from unsculprous businesses practices such as hoarding. The process of producing sugar from sugar cane occurs in stages. The first stage involves the harvesting of sugarcane using machetes. The sugarcane is loaded and transported to the factory where the whole bulk is separated from non-sugarcane materials. The sugarcane bulk is then washed and then loaded into crushers that have rollers to extract juice. The sugarcane juice is then heated to evaporation in large heaters. The juice crystalizes and the crystals are refined into white sugar (Sucden.com, 2015). The sugar is then packaged and transported to the markets to meet the demands. The processing of sugar also has environmental impacts (Sucden.com, 2015). First off, there is a lot of agrochemicals that leach into rivers causing soil and water pollution (Sucden.com, 2015). Sugarcane harvesting also involves burning that pollutes the air with nitrogen and sulphur oxides. The process also releases volatile organic compounds that further pollute the air around the factories. The process is also responsible for reduced soil fertility and loss of biodiversity as well. The Possible View Point of a Local Elder Tana River Delta region forms a habitat for a number of Wild birds that are extinct all over the world. There are also a number of plants and animals that depend on the region more so the Tana River Basins that are forested. Alongside the wildlife, exist local residents who since time in memorial have been dependent upon the region and have established lifestyles based on the environment (Temper, 2014). The proposed project will require massive lands and possibly would mean the relocation or displacement of the locals from areas they have since lived in. The factory will alter the lifestyles of the pastoral dependent communities who majorly keep animals as their source of livelihood and income altogether (Temper, 2014). These communities include the Somalis, Orma, and Wardei who graze their herd of cattle and other stock in the vast Tana Delta Region. The grazing area will be reduced leading to conflicts in the region as well as the reduction of the economic value of the lands that are left for the pastoral communities. The project will also involve the clearing of land that is likely to affect the forested regions within the marked area. This would reduce the number of wildlife that attract tourists in the regions thus job loss for the locals who guide the tourists in the region. Additionally, there will be the cutting down of trees of medicinal value leading to a loss on the part of the locals (Temper, 2014). It is intuitive that there will be more usage of agrochemicals and fertilizers that might leach into the water body leading to the death of birds and water animals such as fish and crocodiles that form a major delicacy for the locals and tourists. The air pollution from the factory processes if not well contained will cause a number of health concerns to the locals such as lung problems among others (Temper, 2014). However, as long as there are measures to guard all the above stated problems, the project will be beneficial in creating jobs and opening up the region for even greater exploration by the tourists. The Point of View of the Producer The production of sugarcane and then sugar at the Tana Delta Region will be cost effective being that the costs of transport and labour will be low compared to where there is a distance to cover. The production process will not only benefit the economy of Kenya but also the economy of the Tana delta Region and the whole county in general (Mireri, Onjala and Oguge, 2008). There will be an avenue for job creation and development in the region offering substitute for the pastoralism that is not much returning as a long-term job (Mireri, Onjala and Oguge, 2008). The project is also timely as it is that period when the consumption of sugar is high thus an imbalance between the supply and demand of sugar. The climate in the area is very prime for the growth of sugarcane compared to other parts of Kenya that have sugar belts. The reduction of poverty in the region shall also result from the implementation of the project as there will be community based initiatives geared towards alleviating poverty and creating sustainability (Mireri, Onjala and Oguge, 2008). Besides sugar, other products resulting from the whole process such as molasses and bagasse have various industrial applications. The power generated can be used in lighting up the region and supplementing the HEP based electricity (Duvail et al., 2012). The infrastructure built by the company for social purposes such as schools, hospitals and cattle dips will also boost the income of the area (Mireri, Onjala and Oguge, 2008). The Point of View of a Political Leader in Kenya The Tana River Delta Region is with no doubt of social and economic importance to the Country of Kenya as a whole. There are two views to look at the proposed project. First off, the project will lead to the development of the Tana River Delta Region and the County (Mireri, Onjala and Oguge, 2008). Secondly, the project will disrupt the social, economic and environmental systems (Mireri, Onjala and Oguge, 2008). The region forms a centre for tourist attraction being that there are a number of species of crocodile, birds, trees and fish. The project will breach the conservation of the wildlife and thus the source of livelihood of some locals who get their daily bread from tourist associated services (Mireri, Onjala and Oguge, 2008). The cleared land shall mean that the pastoral communities graze their stock on small pasture lands. This is likely to create inter-clan conflicts as well as increase wildlife human conflict when the pastoralist communities enter the conservations for pasture (Mireri, Onjala and Oguge, 2008). There will also be loss of biodiversity such as animals and plants including the mangrove cover of the region (Duvail et al., 2012). This alone will negatively impact the tourism industry in Kenya as a result of little revenue. Positively looking at the whole project, a number of benefits are evident. The opening up of the area for a sugar plantation and thus factory will also open up the area for development. There will be infrastructural development in the area leading to opening up of the area for trade and investments (Mireri, Onjala and Oguge, 2008). Roads will be built to create the flow of goods from the factory to the markets. Resultantly, investors will be able to leverage on this so as to invest in the region (Duvail et al., 2012). There are a number of companies that use sugar products and byproducts and the availability of sugar is a positive move for such investments (Mireri, Onjala and Oguge, 2008). The factory will also have to set some fund to be used in taking care of the environment further creating peaceful coexistence between the animals and human as well as plants. The region will also be open up the area for farming in the form of out growers who will be assured of market from the factory. The area shall also create employment for the slowly rising population in the region and thus reduction of insecurity cases that are resulting from unemployment in the region (Duvail et al., 2012). The area shall also boost local consumption of sugar in Kenya and thus cut the associate costs that come when sugar is imported. Obviously, when there will be compensation for those whose land are marked for development of the project, the verification process should be thorough and involve the local administration to avert any cases of fraud and impersonation (Mireri, Onjala and Oguge, 2008). Conclusion and Recommendations There are two core recommendations for the project. First, should the project rollout, there should be measures that mitigate the impacts that have been discussed above. This means proper planning for the whole process from land acquisition to the sourcing of labour. Additionally, there should be a clear cut compensation strategy for both the local communities and the conservation areas in the region (Mireri, Onjala and Oguge, 2008). An assessment should therefore be done in the region and where possible the areas that cannot be adequately valuated such as the conservatives offered an alternative land to reduce the impact. As can be seen the locals deserve more compensation being that they are the primary recipients of the impacts of the project. Despite the project being more of an impact in the region, there is a marked benefit of opening up the region for development and job creation which are factors that any ideal country is struggling to address. Kenya as a developing country should have more consultants in nearly all the involved sectors look at the project viability in the long term so as to be sure once they have rolled it out (Mireri, Onjala and Oguge, 2008). However, as it stands now the best thing to do is to halt the project so as to offer grounds for proper evaluation. Bibliography Duvail, S., Médard, C., Hamerlynck, O. and Nyingi, D. (2012). Land and Water Grabbing in an East African Coastal Wetland: The Case of the Tana Delta. Water Alternatives, 5(2), 322-343. Sucden.com, (2015). World Sugar Consumption, Statistics - Groupe Sucres et Denrées. Sucden, France. Temper, L. (2014). Let Them Eat Sugar: Life and Livelihood in Kenya’s Tana Delta | CEECEC. European Commision. Mireri, C., Onjala, J. and Oguge, N. (2008). The Economic Valuation of the Proposed Tana Integrated Sugar Project (TISP), Kenya. 1st ed. [ebook] pp.1-72. Read More