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: 06 February 2019; Hits: 12596

Pineapple farmers to earn 15 times more by exporting produce to Israel

Pineapple farmers can earn up to 15 times more by exporting their produce to Israel rather than selling to local markets.

A medium sized pineapple in Israel costs Sh955 compared to Sh60 in Kenya according to freshplaza.com. Israel has only 30 growers of the fruit producing 3000 tons yet the local consumption is estimated at 3500 tonnes. The desert country thus imports 450 tons annually to curb the deficit.

Kenya accounts for 30 per cent in export volumes in Africa of canned pineapples according to a report by Samuel Ndung’u submitted to the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation in 2014.

In Africa, only Ghana and Kenya are allowed to export pineapples to Israel as they have complied with the food safety regulations set by the country’s ministry of agriculture. These include supplying the fruits free from pests and diseases.

Foods company buying cabbages, oranges, pawpaw, carrots, onions, potatoes, pineapples, passion fruits and tomatoes e.t.c. from all-comers

Kenya at a good place to bridge France\'s dire need of pineapples

pineapple nandi

The total production of pineapples in Kenya is approximated to be in excess of 1.5m tons annually with small scale farmers accounting for 10 per cent of the total production and large scale farms 90 per cent. Out of large scale farms, Delmonte contributes the biggest share of close to 1.3m tons while Kakuzi and Ndemo farms contribute each 7,000 tons and 16,000 tons respectively. The major markets of Kenyan pineapples include France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark.

Small scale pineapple production in Kenya takes place in the Lake basin region (Homa Bay, Kericho, Migori, and Kisii areas), the Central region (Gatundu and Thika) and the Coast region (Malindi region).

Smooth cayenne pineapple variety is the most planted variety in the country (80 per cent) followed by MD2 and sweet 16.

According to healthline.com, pineapples are rich in vitamin C and manganese essential for growth and development and are also a good source of anti-oxidants which may reduce the risk of diseases such as heart attack, arthritis and diabetes.

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Sunday, 01 November 2020 Interested in supplying pinenapals from malind i for more information at pacha...

: 06 February 2019; Hits: 9266

Fresh produce exporter looking for growers from Kajiado and Ukambani counties

A fresh produce exporter is seeking to contract French beans, mangoes, passion fruit and avocadoes farmers from Kajiado, Makueni, Machakos and Kitui counties to grow and supply them with the crop in order to meet their growing demand from European Union market.

FarmGrown Kenya Limited, a Nairobi based exporter which begun its operations last year exporting fruits such as mangoes, passion and avocadoes to Middle East countries has increasingly earned supply demand for the fruits and French beans in the EU countries.

“We have been exporting about eight tonnes of mangoes and avocadoes each to Arab countries but demands have been increasing from season to season from EU forcing us to look for more farmers to grow the crops,” said Frank Gathogo, FarmGrown Kenya Limited managing director.

export peas

The firm is currently working with seven farmers who have a total of between 13 and 15 acres of land spreading across the counties.

According to 2018 Economic Survey report, the volume of fresh horticultural exports increased from 261.2 thousand tonnes in 2016 to 304.1 thousand tonnes in 2017.

The report further denotes that exports values of fruits and vegetables increased by 23.3 per cent and 3.0 per cent, respectively in 2017.

According to the company, farmers from the dry region counties will be given first priority because most of the seasons they depend on irrigation to produce their crops hence the produce are healthy and available all year round.

“As an expert in fresh produce production, farmers who depend on irrigation stand a high chance of steady farming and income throughout the year and to them, rain sometimes comes as a disruption as cases of pests and diseases breakout are rampant at the time,” said Gathogo.

He says that farmers who are willing to work with them should have a regular source of water for irrigation, show documents of land ownership or leasing, a starting capital, and ability to sign a contract and follow agronomical instruction given by the company’s technical team.

“To keep our farmers up to the international standards, we have a team of five agronomists who engage the farmers in their production process to ensure the Global GAP is met.”

“This is the best way we ensure we satisfy our customers leaving them to demand for more each time.”

Gathogo is now encouraging all farmers including youth to take farming seriously and not as a gamble as it is a proven well-paying venture.

He can be reached on +254 725320345.

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: 31 January 2019; Hits: 7704

Siaya group excel in collective marketing of traditional vegetables

Traditional vegetable farmers in Siaya have tripled income from Sh15 to Sh48 per kilogram after joining a cooperative society to market their produce. Initially farmers in the region sold their produce individually with reduced bargaining power according to a report by the Kenya Agricultural Productivity Project.

After forming the Siaya Local Vegetable Producers Value Chain community-based organization eight years ago, the area under production of local vegetables by the members of the farmer CBO rose from quarter an acre to one acre per member, improving yields from 400 kilos to 1500 kilos per acre. Likewise, there was an increase in quantity sold from 240 tons to 4344 tons of traditional vegetable leading to subsequent increase in revenue to the farmers from Sh3.7m to Sh169.2m.

The formation of the society was promoted by the Kenya Agricultural Productivity Project mobilizing and training farmers in the region on the importance of collective marketing.

KAPAP reports that farmers in 15, out of 54, locations in the county registered the highest number of people who expressed interest and enlisted in the project. These farmers formed common interest groups in each of the 15 locations. The CIGs came together and transformed into the Siaya Local Vegetable Producers Value Chain, community-based organization (CBO), which got registered in December 2011. Initially, the CBO had 1,200 (685 Men + 515 Women) members, recruited from the 15 locations. The CIGs also identified training sites and the beneficiary host farmers.

The farmer CBO then transformed itself into the Siaya Vegetables Production Co-operative Society (SIVEPCO). The farmer CBO, with the guidance of extension officers, developed an enterprise development plan. This also guided the development of a business plan for African indigenous vegetables.

The farmers, through the CBO, were then trained on how to develop and manage agribusiness, co-operatives and entrepreneurship, and quality control of produce by sorting and grading.

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Spider plant. Courtesy

The cooperative society currently co-ordinates the bulking and collective marketing of produce and in the process guarantees sustainability of the project. The co-operative also helps in building the farmer capacity, promoting agribusiness through its collection centers, market linkages and linkage to other services, value addition, and sorting and grading of farmer produce.

The farmers sell the produce in Kisumu markets and hotels.

According to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, vegetable earnings increased by 9.6 per cent to Sh16.9bn from 50,000 tons of produce in the first eight months of 2018 compared to a similar period in 2017.

African traditional vegetables are considered a source of healthy food and of medicinal value. In Kenya they are regarded as traditional food crops.

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