Machinery

: 27 June 2019; Hits: 7432

Kenyan tea farmers bet on new technology at collection centres for efficiency and transparency

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Farmer's Smart Card.

Tea farmers in Kenya are betting on the newly introduced technology in the sector at different collection centres across the country to enable the growers within a short time deliver their produce and submit their details for proper record keeping to ensure they do not incur any losses due to errors which can be avoided.

The new technology which includes the use of an Electronic Weighing Solution (EWS) launched in 2011 and farmers’ Smart Cards introduced last year January by Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) is already a game changer in the sector.

“Before the introduction of EWS and the growers’ smart cards, there were claims of weight falsification by clerks at the tea buying centres. For that reason, in 2007, a tea industry task force recommended the introduction of the new technology to curb weight falsification at collection centres,” read a statement by the KTDA cooperate communication department.

In addition, manual weighing machines which were used required clerks at the tea buying centres to do bookkeeping which was cumbersome at times and often saw some records getting lost as they were in paper-work format.

On the other hand, the introduction of the smart cards was part of the wider strategy to improve the efficiency of EWS by tightening integrity and ensuring that farmers receive better leaf-collection services.

It has so far increased efficiency at the tea buying centers and provides the farmers with a secure way of storing their data which can be accessed at any time.

The data captured in the card includes farmers’ name, number and the name of the buying center and the factory where they supply their deliveries to.

Apart from market alerts and record notifications, the smart card also helps farmers query total deliveries made without visiting the factory, request advisory on land preparations, fertilizer requirements and secure credit facilities from financial institutions.

RELATED CONTENT: Researchers decry dismal uptake of purple tea

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Farmer's Smart Card.

How the system works

First, EWS has a weighbridge system, a near-field communication (NFC) enabled smart card, a bulk SMS system and an electronic weighing scale which is used to capture the weight of green leaf at the tea buying centres and relay the data to the factory and individual farmer’s database.

The smart card is connected to KTDA Electronic Weighing System (EWS) that has the capacity of sending and receiving SMS to and from the farmers’ phones that they can use to query the system.

At the buying centre, the grower presents the smart card to the clerks who will have to swap it on a machine to capture and store the kilos of green leaf delivered. After the clerk has swapped the card, he or she then returns the card to the grower with a printed receipt.

The card is embedded to the EWS and uses SMS solution to notify tea farmers about the quantities of green leaf delivered at the buying center. This enables them to keep track of their deliveries in real-time.

RELATED CONTENT: Tea tree earns farmers fortunes

Simultaneously, the data captured at the buying centers is also transmitted to the factory, in real time, for record purposes.

The SMS facility in the system can be invoked by KTDA and factories managed by KTDA to communicate with tea farmers, keeping them informed on key events like meetings and trainings.

“The integrity of the EWS and the grower’s smart card has been put to test and has proven 100 per cent secure. It is error-proof, safe and uses the latest device and advanced technology available in the market,” read the statement.

RELATED CONTENT: Purple tea earns Meru farm 10x more in exports

According to KTDA, the second phase of the EWS that includes an electronic weighing scale, a weighbridge system, a near-field communication (NFC) enabled smart card and a bulk SMS system cost every factory about Sh3.8 million.

However, the cards are paid for by the farmers at a cost of Sh100.

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: 21 May 2019; Hits: 6176

Special container to save avocado farmer losses resulting from post-harvest mishandling

packed avocado fruits for export Packed avocadoes ready for market. Introduction of a special container for transporting the produce saves farmers losses coming from post-harvest handling. Photo: Zablon Oyugi.

In 2003 when Anne Wangechi started growing hass avocado variety in Murang’a, Central Kenya she did not have any knowledge on the fruit production something which led to her losing almost a half of her first produce due to post-harvest mishandling.

However, coming to the rescue of Ann and other farmers is a special container called controlled atmosphere (CA) which will see transporting avocados to far markets has been a challenge to smallholder growers in the country agone story.

The container can extend the shelf-life of the fruits from less than seven days to six weeks, allowing for movement of the produce from the production sites to the markets saving many farmers like Ann unnecessary losses dwindling their incomes.

“In my first harvest I expected Sh46,000 from 2,000 pieces of fruits I harvested but due to post-harvesting mishandling a number of fruits were rejected during quality assessment by an export company which was paying Sh280 per carton containing 12 fruits,” said Ann.

She says, the night after harvesting the fruits before she could transport them she was forced to keep them in the house to avoid theft not knowing that the fruits are supposed to be left outside in the open to prevent them from any sort of browning.

Without checking the whole produce, the following day she packed all of them in a small car closed the car windows limiting the free flow of fresh air over the fruits to rush them to the exporting firm.

“When we unpacked the fruits, so many of them had developed some brown spots sending us through a tedious sorting exercise. I was surprised to have lost almost a half of the produce which according to the company’s experts was due to mishandling,” said Anne who is a secretary by profession.

She was then forced to sell the rejected fruits in the local market at Sh6 each reducing her income.

According to a 2017 research by ResearchGate on Status of Avocado Production in Kenya, Kenya has about 7,500ha under avocado production yielding 81,000 tonnes but about 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes of avocado goes to waste due to pre and postharvest handling practices.

However, for CA technology which has been tried in countries such as Australia to France, it will increase export to major markets, which are paying thrice for the fruit.

A report by the Maersk, a global logistics company, released in 2016 indicates that there has been a 34 per cent increase of the export in 2016 against that of 2015.

The 70 per cent small-scale farmers like Anne who are among the producers of the 119,000 metric tonnes of the fruit annually in the country and who have been faced by post-harvest challenges could take up the technology to realise their full returns.

The CA container are customised to specific temperatures, humidity, as well as air concentration to minimise ripening and physical injury to the fruits due to chilling.

The most appropriate condition of the containers include five per cent oxygen, 10 per cent carbon dioxide concentration, the temperature of 7.5 degree Celsius, minimized ethylene gas and 90-95 per cent humidity to reduce chilling injuries.

Farmers can access the container from exporting firms and agencies.

RELATED CONTENT: Taming avocado pests eases entry into EU market

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: 10 May 2019; Hits: 5465

Oserian Development Company launches solar plant to power operations

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The 3,000 solar panels that make up Oserian solar plant. Photo courtesy.

Oserian Development Company, one of the Kenya’s largest flower exporting company, has hit yet another milestone by launching its solar energy power plant with a capacity to generate 1mw. Integrated with the existing geothermal power, the firm will now produce sufficient renewable energy for consumption by tenants and residents of the Two Lakes Industrial Park. Combined, both plants have a capacity of 3.5 mw.

Speaking during the launch in Naivasha, Managing Director Neil Heilings said renewable energy was the way to go to reduce the cost of power, a big hurdle to Kenya’s development. “The initiative supports Kenya's Agenda 4 - providing cheaper renewable energy for industrial take-off”, he said.

The event was presided over by Nakuru County Governor Lee Kinyanjui. The Governor said his government will support private sector to steer development in the region, expressing pride that Nakuru County was home to the largest geothermal plant in Africa, and fourth in the world.

The power plant has been developed in partnership with Premier Solar, Solarise, Oloidien Engineering & Estate, and Dubai Carbon.

Oserian developed the 2.5 mw geothermal in 2003 and now it has switched on solar power making it the only flower farm in the world to operate on the two green energy sources, relying 100 per cent on own generated energy for business and residential use.

The solar plant comes a month after the firm was named the 2019 Renewable Energy Champion in the Kenya Association of Manufacturers Energy awards in March.

With the solar plant, Oserian has moved closer to its 2020 Vision of being a carbon-free environment. The firm introduced geothermal powered tugs (trucks) two years ago that transport flowers from greenhouses to the pack house, a development that has saved about 300,000 litres of diesel leading to massive savings and a cleaner environment.

This essentially makes Oserian flowers more acceptable in the markets that are demanding proof of environmental stewardship in the production of the goods they purchase.

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Neil Heilings, Oserian Managing Director and Lee Kinyanjui Nakuru Governor in the middle, with solarplant partners. Photo courtesy.

Further, with geothermal heating, Oserian has reduced use of synthetic pesticides to control pests and diseases by regulating humidity in the greenhouses. “By reducing chemicals we have healthier plants, a cleaner environment and a safer workforce”, added Mary Kinyua, director of administration.

Premier Solar Managing director Mr. Rupesh Hidocha said Kenya has a naturally rich solar and wind resource which should be harnessed for renewable energy generation. The Dubai-based solar specialist business opened a Kenya subsidiary two years ago, has laid 3,000 solar panels at Oserian, designed in such a way that at no one time will the panels be covered by shadow to maintain maximum exposure to sunlight throughout the day.

Patrick Huber, Managing director, Solarise that financed the project said solar plants are a long-term investment with a 25-year lifespan. He urged businesses keen on going solar to consult so as to get the basics right on the suitable technology to choose for their respective regions.

Keith Alisdair, Managing Diector, Oloidien Engineering and Estates that took charge of all the engineering works said it was a totally new ground for the company that has now developed the expertise to lay such plants as the technology takes root in Kenya.

A representative of Dubai Carbon Mr. Thomas Bosse said Oserian has embraced Green Growth, a pursuit of the United Nations Environment Programme that was offering advice to businesses to take advantage of nature to develop tools and mechanisms through which they can operate in a sustainable world.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Heilings said Oserian was willing to share its experience in this journey to enable partners in developing renewable energy put their brains together for the befit of all.

Innocent Onsarigo of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers recognized Oserian as a leading light in alternative sources of energy and a practicing example of the associations seeking for a 30 % tax rebate on renewable energy utilities, for reduction of costs.

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