Three people have petitioned the Constitutional court calling for a declaration that a government to ban the export of sugar canes to Kenya and Tanzania by sugar cane growers in Busoga region is unconstitutional.
The trio; Francis Muganga, Ramadhan Kakaire and Ali Katabu claim they are concerned with the economic and social well-being of their business compatriots who have unjustifiably been denied a right to earn a living from growing and selling sugar canes for far too long.
In June, the Minister of Trade and Cooperatives, Amelia Kyambadde told Parliament that the exportation of sugarcane would lead to lack of raw materials to the local millers, hence failure to promote industrial growth in the country through value addition.
However, the petitioners who are also farmers contend that for so long, Sugarcane has been Busoga’s main cash crop from which many of the Basoga derive income to cater for their basic needs.
The petitioners want court to declare the directive of the Minister for Trade is unconstitutional.
They argue that since sugarcane takes 18 months to mature, most of the growers rent the land to grow the same and they incur expenses such as labor, cultivation, application of fertilizers, pesticides among others.
Francis Muganga, their lawyer says that their Sugarcane leading to losses.
Factories in Busoga sub-region have of recent experienced excess supply because of the region’s biggest sugar millers like Kakira Sugar and Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited (SCOUL).
The other factories like Kamuli, G.M Sugar Limited and Mayuge Factories reported machine breakdowns which has since left the Sugar cane farmers to export their Sugarcane to Kenya.
The farmers have since petitioned the Speaker of Parliament over a number of issues related to taxes on sugar, exportation ban among others.
