Busoga MPs refuse to shut sugar plants...... BAMBI BUSOGA! Kaliro MPs from Busoga region have dismissed President Museveni’s directive to close all sugar factories that had been set up within a radius of less than 25km from the existing ones, saying residents will be deprived of services. This week, the President wrote to the minister for Trade, Ms Amelia Kyambadde, instructing her to also stop issuing licences to factories planning to start sugar production in the region. In a letter copied to MPs from Busoga, Mr Museveni cited complaints raised by a section of stakeholders alleging that the factories were being operated in total disregard of the law. A sugar factory must have at least 500 hectares of sugar plantations and be established within a radius of not less than 25km from the old factory. They also expressed fear of a hunger outbreak and increased school drop outs as a result of increased sugarcane growing. This prompted the legislators under Busoga Parliamentary Forum chaired by Speaker Rebecca Kadaga to tour the factories on Sunday to assess investment. According to their assessment, the MPs said the factories were beneficial. “We cannot accept this directive because a factory like Mayuge sugar has exhibited bigger plans like employing more than 1,000 people, starting power generation...,” Ms Kadaga said. She said the money the government plans to use to compensate the owners of the factory is an infringement on tax payers’ money. The MPs advised the factory proprietors to be sensitised about the issues raised by stakeholders. “...Team up with district production officers so that you are helped in the sensitisation programme to solve hunger threats,” Ms Kadaga told Mr Kamulesh Makhesh, the managing director of Mayuge sugar.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 07:39:29 +0000
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