Machinery

: 02 May 2019; Hits: 6858

Kinangop potato farmers to find solution to market challenges for their produce, thanks to a new plant

Kinangop potato plant

The newly constructed Engineer Food Processing plant in Kinangop, Nyandarua County. The factory will be processing one tonne of potatoes per hour hence helping farmers in the area find a ready market for their produce. Photo courtesy.

Potato farmers in Kinangop, in Nyandarua County, are set to benefit from the newly built potato processing plant the will see them beat perennial fluctuations in potato prices and post-harvest losses challenges that the farmers have been facing since the closure of another company which was serving the producers before.

According to the new plant manager, Danson Ndegwa, the multi-million Engineer Food Processing plant located at Engineer Town will address the perennial problem of low prices and lack of market for the popular produce.

Ndegwa said the plant has the capacity to process one tonne of potatoes per hour which will address the issue of post-harvest losses and value addition.

For years, farmers in the area have made losses due to lack of market after the Midland Food processing factory closed its doors several years ago over ownership wrangles.

The manager regretted that farmers in Nyandarua had gone through afflictions due to exploitation by brokers and lack of support from the national government.

He, however, assured that the new plant will be buying in kilogrammes unlike the brokers, who bought produce in sacks.

Addressing the press after visiting the plant, Ndegwa said farmers in Kinangop which is the main producer of potatoes in the region, had little to show for their sweat and said the plant will process their potatoes thus offering them a wide market.

He said the company had already contracted farmers in the region to supply them with potatoes and that for now, the company will start with farmers from Kinangop area before sourcing for more from neighboring regions in the coming months.

Ndegwa said the company had employed agronomists who will be engaging the farmers free of charge with a view to helping them improve on their production.

He noted that farmers were facing challenges of lack of market and other challenges including post-harvest losses, poor quality of seeds and storage.

Danson Ndegwa, plant manager Engineer Food Processing plant:

“We plan to also engage the youth in the area to encourage them to start farming as this is now becoming a lucrative trade.”

One of the leading potato farmers in Kinangop Jesse Kamutu hailed the venture saying it will give farmers an opportunity to market their produce and improve on the quality of their produce through the supply of certified seeds by the company.

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: 23 April 2019; Hits: 6819

Locally modified machine that controls mushrooms humidity, keeping off deadly disease

mushroom humidifierd Mr. Alfred Barasa demostrating how mist blower machine operates during a farmers training event at JKUAT. Photo: Zablon Oyugi.

Kenyan mushroom farmers can now control humidity within their production units using humidifier or mist blower, a locally modified machine that balances the production condition of the fungi further preventing bacterial blotch, a mushroom deadly disease that attacks the whole produce making it unmarketable.

According to Mr. Alfred Barasa, Mushroom Production Technician and Trainer at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) where the machine is modified, growers have been opening the doors and windows to the growing units to let in air to dry the mushrooms, a method which has not been effective.

“Opening the doors and windows would mean that the farmers have to guard the production houses to prevent any damage. This may be time consuming depending on the weather,” said Barasa.

How it works

Mist blower which operates with electric power of 220-240v is made of a motor of 0.75 horse-power. The motor, once the power is on and machine connected to a constant water supply from a horse pipe it rotates at a high speed a disc fitted at the rear part of the machine.

This causes the water which is let in to break up into droplets forming a mist in the production unit raising its relative humidity to 80-95 per cent, the ideal condition during reproduction or fruiting of mushrooms.

Once this condition is attained, it is advisable to dry the surfaces of the mushrooms to clear the water droplets which if left for a long time causes bacterial blotch.

“This is where most farmers get it wrong. After watering the crops, they leave the droplets on the surfaces of mushrooms especially on the caps to dry naturally something that may take longer than and expected and eventually resulting to brown spots,” said Barasa.

The same machine can also help to dry the mushrooms’ surfaces. This is done by disconnecting the water pipe to cut the supply. With the source of power still in place, the motor rotates a fan which is just behind the motor.

This causes the disc to rotate again at high speed drying the surfaces of mushrooms to prevent bacterial blotch that causes spots on the caps making the produce unsalable.

Mushroom crop humidifier

Mushroom humidifier machine. Photo: Zablon Oyugi.

The machine can be used in a 10x20x40 production house and it costs Sh150,000 or more if imported and even less if manufactured locally.

“A larger unit will require two machines of the same capacity for an effective job. However, a farmer can water one side of the room before moving to the remaining side if only one machine is available to service a bigger unit.”

Barasa can be reached on +254 724 723 537

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Friday, 19 March 2021 Very informative I have lost my crop to bacteria bloach

: 09 April 2019; Hits: 9825

Kenya’s increasing agricultural innovations poised to boost food security

SmartfarminginternetofthingsAlfredAhutaOngataRongaiLaban

Afred Ahuta, Domotele Technology Internet of Things consultant. He is one of the experts involved in smart technology development for poultry and dairy management. Photo: Laban Robert.

The growing number of innovations deployed in Kenya’s agriculture sector could hasten realization of food security and industrial transformation in the country.

According to policymakers, experts and investors who attended the just concluded conference on disruptive agricultural technology in Nairobi, robust innovations promise a green revolution in Kenya.

Hamadi Boga, principal secretary in the ministry of agriculture, livestock and fisheries, said Kenya has positioned itself to become a hub for innovations and technologies required to boost crop yield despite challenges linked to climate change, pests, diseases and declining soil health.

“Our farmers should have access to disruptive technologies required to boost access to information on weather as well as price of inputs like seeds and fertilizers,” Boga said.

“These technologies are at the heart of government efforts to transform small-holder farming through access to credit and markets,” he added.

The April 5-6 high-level forum, sponsored by the World Bank, culminated in award of 100 million Kenya shillings (about 1 million U.S dollars) to 14 agritech start-ups that provide solutions to tackle bottlenecks hampering productivity at small-holder level.

Boga said investment in agritech start-ups is key to boosting access to technologies required to streamline agricultural value chains.

“Access to farmer-friendly technologies and innovations will have positive impact on food security, natural resources management and poverty eradication in rural areas,” he said.

Kenya is home to 25 percent of agritech start-ups in sub-Saharan Africa, and the figure could rise further thanks to the presence of a robust innovation ecosystem.

Simeon Kacou Ehui, director of agriculture global practice at the World Bank, said multilateral lenders are keen to provide capital and expertise required to hasten technology-led transformation of food production systems in Kenya.

“We at the World Bank plan to promote large scale deployment of innovations, provide mentoring, coaching and business development services to boost agricultural productivity in Kenya and across Africa,” Simeon said.

Participants at the disruptive agricultural technology conference said Kenya could leverage on macroeconomic stability, skilled workforce and high-speed internet connection to boost uptake of innovations to make farming smart, climate-resilient and profitable.

Olukemi Afun-Ogidan, principal agribusiness officer at the African Development Bank (AFDB), said Kenya should prioritize regulatory and policy incentives to attract investments in early-stage start-ups that are providing solutions to small-holder farmers grappling with low productivity, limited access to credit and volatile markets.

“Governments should incentivize local commercial banks to lend to start-ups with technical know-how to overhaul agricultural value chains,” Afun-Ogidan said.

Kenyan agritech start-ups should focus on improving financial literacy and agronomic practices among small-holder farmers to enhance their competitiveness in global value chains, she said.

Shudhan Kohli, co-founder and chief executive officer of Grey Elephant Ventures, a pan-African venture capital firm, said Kenya should explore innovative financing models to spur growth of agritech start-ups that revolutionize farming.

“The government can mobilize funds from a range of sources like impact investors, banks and foundations to address financial constraints facing early-stage start-ups in the agricultural innovations space,” Kohli said.

Kenya is keen to harness opportunities provided by emerging technologies like blockchain, internet of things, artificial intelligence and drones to disrupt farming and make it climate-resilient, youth-friendly and commercially viable.

Mary Nzomo, chair of county agriculture executives’ caucus, said adoption of disruptive technologies could unlock huge benefits to small-holder farmers amid worsening food security and revenue streams.

“There is a strong case for adoption of innovations that can reorganize farming, especially around the areas of agronomy, post-harvest storage, value addition and marketing,” Nzomo said.

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