Take Sango Bay as an alternative, MP tells govt
Aug 26, 2011
THE Government should revive Sango Bay sugar estate instead of giving part of Mabira Forest to Mehta, Kakuuto MP Mathias Kasamba has said.
By Ali Mambule
THE Government should revive Sango Bay sugar estate instead of giving part of Mabira Forest to Mehta, Kakuuto MP Mathias Kasamba has said.
Kasamba said 146,000 hectares of land were lying idle at Sango Bay in Mutukula, Rakai district, adding that this was the right time to utilise it.
“There is no reason why the Government should give 7,000 hectares of Mabira Forest to sugarcane growers when the same government can facilitate Patel Sharad to develop Sango Bay and start producing sugar,†Kasamba said. Sharad is the director of Sango Bay.
Kasamba made the remarks on Monday while touring the sugar estate.
He held a meeting with Patel, who repossessed the estate in 1996 when the Government returned to Indians the property Amin’s government had taken over in 1972.
“For several years, we have been engaging Patel and trying to make sure that he increases the acreage on which he is growing sugarcane. However, it seems he has not gained the capacity and financial muscle to establish a plantation that can be relied on to construct a sugar processing plant,†Kasamba said.
He explained that developing Sango Bay would not only save Mabira Forest but also help improve the lives of the people in Rakai district by providing them with employment.
“The Government should engage Patel by guaranteeing him access to a loan or help him get an investor to expand sugarcane growing instead of looking at only Madhivan, Mehta and Kinyara.â€
Kasamba pointed out that permitting only the processors to import sugar would block other interested people from joining the industry.
Presiding over the silver jubilee celebrations of Mannya Catholic Church in Kifamba sub-county, Rakai district on Sunday, Brig. Elly Kayanja backed Kasamba’s argument, saying Sango Bay sugar estate had much more land than Mabira Forest.
“The most annoying factor is that the sugarcane grown on the estate is being exported to Tanzania,†Kayanja said.
Patel said exporting sugarcane to Tanzania is done to avoid destroying it since it has to be replaced every after 18 months.
THE Government should revive Sango Bay sugar estate instead of giving part of Mabira Forest to Mehta, Kakuuto MP Mathias Kasamba has said.
Kasamba said 146,000 hectares of land were lying idle at Sango Bay in Mutukula, Rakai district, adding that this was the right time to utilise it.
“There is no reason why the Government should give 7,000 hectares of Mabira Forest to sugarcane growers when the same government can facilitate Patel Sharad to develop Sango Bay and start producing sugar,†Kasamba said. Sharad is the director of Sango Bay.
Kasamba made the remarks on Monday while touring the sugar estate.
He held a meeting with Patel, who repossessed the estate in 1996 when the Government returned to Indians the property Amin’s government had taken over in 1972.
“For several years, we have been engaging Patel and trying to make sure that he increases the acreage on which he is growing sugarcane. However, it seems he has not gained the capacity and financial muscle to establish a plantation that can be relied on to construct a sugar processing plant,†Kasamba said.
He explained that developing Sango Bay would not only save Mabira Forest but also help improve the lives of the people in Rakai district by providing them with employment.
“The Government should engage Patel by guaranteeing him access to a loan or help him get an investor to expand sugarcane growing instead of looking at only Madhivan, Mehta and Kinyara.â€
Kasamba pointed out that permitting only the processors to import sugar would block other interested people from joining the industry.
Presiding over the silver jubilee celebrations of Mannya Catholic Church in Kifamba sub-county, Rakai district on Sunday, Brig. Elly Kayanja backed Kasamba’s argument, saying Sango Bay sugar estate had much more land than Mabira Forest.
“The most annoying factor is that the sugarcane grown on the estate is being exported to Tanzania,†Kayanja said.
Patel said exporting sugarcane to Tanzania is done to avoid destroying it since it has to be replaced every after 18 months.