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: 25 October 2019; Hits: 9419

Herbs exporter looking for more farmer groups to meet Dubai market demand

women inspinach vegetables vertical farming

Peter Chege, the founder and CEO of Hydroponics Africa which deals in hydroponic production of herbs such as basil, rosemary, thyme, mint, oregano among others for export is looking for more farmer groups to meet two tonnes monthly demand by a client in Dubai.

Currently, Chege is working with women groups in counties such as Muranga, KituI, Machakos and Kajiado to grow the herbs through the vertical and horizontal vegetable systems.

The hydroponic system of farming does not require soil. On the contrary, it uses mineral nutrient solutions in water thus reducing the need for soil. This modern and innovative farming technology is resilient to climate change, pests and diseases, provides superior nutritional value and faster growth at limited input costs.

“Hydroponics Kenya is the pioneer initiator and leader of hydroponic farming systems in East Africa. We enable farmers to achieve predictable and highly nutritious yields for vegetables and herbs for local and international markets,” said Chege.

“With hydroponics the farmer is unaffected by seasons and adverse weather conditions, which historically has given rise to severe food insecurity in Africa.”

High value crops such as coloured capsicum, cauliflower, sprouts, lettuce, strawberries among others have proven to give higher yields with this technology. Indigenous and local vegetables such as kales, spinach, terere are successfully being grown using the system. The minerals used in growing the crops are alkaline in nature which controls the growth of fungi. Other products that the company provides includes fodder systems and hydroponic nutrients.

The systems have been widely adopted both locally and internationally at home and at the institutional level. So far two cooperatives in Eldoret have embraced the system including a hotel at the Mara. Recently, the company installed a green house in Uwendi Farm, Rwanda fitted with vertical gardens at a 50 per cent stake.

All a farmer needs work with the firm is the willingness to grow the crops, constant water supply and some investment capital according to the space available and scope of production.

This followed by contract signing between the company and the farmer and training on the modern type of production.

“We have a technical team which ensures that our farmers become the best producers of quality and quantity herbs and vegetables for both local and international markets,” said Chege.

Caption: One of the women farmer groups that Hydroponics Africa is working with at a greenhouse farm in Kajiado County. Photo courtesy.

Hydroponics Africa can be reached on +254722 956647/ +254748962918

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: 25 October 2019; Hits: 13283

How to import breeding goats into Kenya

galla goats breed

Many farmers in Kenya are constantly looking for quality goat breeds that can improve their milk and meat production and make a kill in sales. This comes at a time there is an increase in demand for the products due to their nutritious value and sweet taste.

However, accessing some of these breeds is becoming difficult because very few own pure breed while others just have crosses and importing procedures of the quality breeds into the country is not very well known by the farmers, not to mention of it being an expensive exercise.

“We use to import male Boer goats from South Africa back in 2017. The exercise was so costly as we could buy a goat at about Sh70,000 excluding logistics and permit costs,” said Daniel Gichimu Njuguna, founder of Malewa Boer Goats Farm based in Ol Kalau, Nyanadarua County.

On arrival, Njuguna says that many farmers sought the farm’s services to cross their local breeds with the Boer breeds but soon the farmers started complaining that the quality was becoming low which made the farm stop importing the breeds.

“We realised that our agents in South Africa were not keen on choosing the breeds and with time they started sending us impure breeds hence we stopped the exercise,” said Njuguna.

Currently, some of the goat breeds kept in Kenya are Toggenburg, Oberhasi, Galla, Small East African Goat, Alpines and Boer but sourcing them locally could be difficult given there is increase in the number of farmers interested in goats rearing.

RELATED ARTICLE: Facts sheet on Saanen dairy goats farming

So how can farmers export? Here are some steps:

Step1: It all starts with the farmer’s choice of the breed they want to import for breeding from the farm or company of the country of origin.

The farm or company should be an authorized dealer to avoid importing breeds that are genetically compromised or have some disease traces.

Step2: The farmer then visits the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock Development and Fisheries or Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade) website to obtain import permit form to fill up their details which include KRA PIN, company name (if available), their physical location, reason for importation (rearing or breeding purposes), number of animals to be imported, country of origin, name of the supplier of the livestock, and the cost of the animals.

The form is then submitted for approval by the authorized officers and the farmer is informed on the animals’ importation fee (Sh300 per goat- according to KenTrade website). Once this fee is paid, the permit is issued to the farmers allowing them to proceed.

Step3: The farmer seeks an export permit from the country of the animals’ origin which is being prepared by livestock ministries in that country to ensure that the animal being exported is disease-free, genetically superior and healthy.

The farm or company from which the animals are sourced processes the permit which takes the same process of validation as the import permit.

The importer and exporter then agrees on the logistics costs.

Step4: This is the import arrangement where the consignment to be transported must be accompanied by the original copies of the export and import permits and all other documents as no live animals are allowed in the country minus the permit documents because there is a thorough inspection at the ports or border points.

Step5: The importer clears the animals and takes them to their farm.

Note: proper feeds and water arrangement should be made because clearance process can take long and the animals can experience starvation.

Caption: Galla goats breed. Photo courtesy.

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: 22 October 2019; Hits: 9249

Honey marketer looking for more beekeepers to satisfy the lucrative Arab market

honey bee

Jungle Honey Enterprise, a Kenyan indigenous and commercial beekeeping company is currently in need of more farmers, under mutual agreement, to venture into honey production and supply the company which is experiencing increasing demand especially from the Middle East.

The firm has been working with farmers form different parts of the country to produce the sweetener for local consumption but international market openings has seen it mobilising for more beekeepers who are keen to up their income.

“Honey is five times more expensive than oil and its demand is increasing not only in Kenya but all over the world. In this, we are keen to provide market to interested farmers in a contract signing of three years during which farmers will enjoy sure market for their produce,” said Jackson Shisoka, the firm’s founder.

He says that currently, the commodity is priced at between Sh500 and Sh1,100 per kilogram in Kenya which is at least five times what a liter of petrol costs while in the Arab market, a jar of honey can fetches almost double the amount.

However, since independence, Kenya has had a deficit in honey production which leads to over 80 percent of honey processed in Kenya being imported from Tanzania despite the country having favorable climatic conditions for beekeeping like other leading honey producing countries, said Shisoka.

Beekeeping in Kenya has been practiced traditionally for many years leading to only 20 per cent of the country’s honey production potential (estimated at 100,000 metric tonnes) being tapped so far.

“Many farmers in Kenya are yet to commercialize honey production as the sector is still regarded as a preserve of the poor. This has been the case while there is a huge market for the product in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East,” said Shisoka.

According to a survey by the firm, there is great potential for Kenyan bee farmers to make money as the country leaks every flowering season with over 80 per cent untapped nectar. This despite the fact that beekeeping being a unique practice that works well with other farm practices since less time is needed on management and supervision.

The company is now involved in empowering interested beekeepers through offering training on modern beekeeping, provision of Langstroth beehives and other beekeeping equipment and management of the apiaries to meet the quantity and quality of the produce needed.

“We also provide bees (colony division) and technical support as well as the marketing of the honey,” said Shisoka.

Jungle Honey Enterprise can be reached on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or +254 795 82 84 14

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