KAYUNGA
GM Sugar Uganda Limited is counting losses after unknown arsonists set on fire about 350 acres of their cane plantation at Kasokwe Village in Galilaaya Sub-County, Kayunga District.
According to GM Sugar management, it is estimated that the fire destroyed raw cane worth Shs1.2 billion.
According to Mr Patel Dhermesh, the GM Sugar farm manager, the company experienced two arson attacks on their plantations in a period of only two months.
“The first arson attack occurred on December 25 last year while the most recent one took place on February 2. In both incidents, the cane was burnt in the night when private security guards and deployed UPDF soldiers had retired to their homes to rest,” a visibly concerned Dhernesh ,says
Ms Marian Seguya, the Kayunga Resident District Commissioner on Tuesday visited the affected plantation to assess the extent of destruction and to find out how far investigations into the incident by the police had reached and also devise measures of avoiding a reoccurrence of such incidents.
Mr Dhermesh said, “They (arsonists) burnt our cane without any reason, they first take alcohol during the day and at night they come and burn the sugarcane”
He said the arson acts are exacerbated by the current long dry spell being experienced in the area where three other Sugar companies have cane plantations.
The GM Sugar manager emphasized to the RDC that he doesn’t think that the incident was caused by disgruntled company workers, noting that they pay all workers on time and none of them demands any arrears from the company.
“The totally spoiled cane was still immature [ 7 months] and we are going to cut and throw it away. We appeal to the government to provide us with more policemen to carry out night patrols of the plantations,” Mr Dhermesh noted.
But Mr Charles Okwi, the officer in-charge of the Criminal Investigations at Kasokwe police post ,said preliminary investigations indicated that “idle” company workers could have set the plantation on fire in order to be recalled to remove and plant cane in the burnt fields.
This publication could not verify the police’s claims. Mr Okwi disclosed that no suspect had been arrested in connection with the incident given that the incident occurred at night.
The RDC, who described the incident as “ bad and regrettable” however, noted that as a government they need to protect all property belonging to investors.
“Investors like GM Sugar should be protected because they pay a lot of taxes and give employment to our youths,” Ms Seguya said.
“We are going to ensure that the police in this area get a patrol vehicle so that they carry out night patrols of all cane plantations in the district,” the RDC said.
GM Sugar employs at least 1,000 people on their plantations in Kayunga .
The RDC also directed police to arrest anyone found idling in the cane plantations
Mr Joel Kayira ,the Galilaaya Sub-County district councilor blamed the incident on wrangles between the company and some residents neighbouring the plantations over denial to eat the cane.
Mr Kayira called for community sensitisation to appreciate the role of investors in the development of the country.
Sugar millers usually suffer fire incidents at their plantations which leave a trail of destruction and losses .Sometimes the inferno is blamed on wildfires ignited by dry spells while others are said to be acts of arson instigated by plantation workers or residents wrangling with millers over land .
On February 17, 2014, Kinyara Sugar Works lost more than 50 hectares of sugarcane in Masindi District after a fire gutted its plantations. This came a day after about 620 hectares were also destroyed.
On February 18, 2019 , an estimated 600 acres of sugarcane at Atiak Sugar Factory plantation in Amuru District got burnt down .
On December 26,2021, wildfires destroyed more than 1,400 acres of sugarcane in Ayuu Alali Parish Palabek Kal Sub County in Lamwo District .Close to 600 acres part of the 1,400 acres destroyed were ready for harvest while the remaining 800 acres had been earmarked for use as seed cane for the next planting season .