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: 27 November 2018; Hits: 10263

Cashewnut processing company in Kilifi in urgent need of farmers to grow the crop

cashewnuts

Factory workers sorting out cashewnuts. Photo courtesy.

Wondernuts Ltd, a cashewnut processing firm based in Kilifi County is urgently looking for willing farmers to grow the crop to meet its processing capacity of 5000 tonnes per year. This is after farmers in the region are reportedly producing less due to lack of clean planting materials.

The company which has dealt in cashewnut for 20 years is now processing only 2,000 tonnes a year and sometimes has to close down for long periods because of lack of the raw material.

“I am not considering opting out of the business, instead I would like to encourage farmers to engage in contract farming with us as the company is operating below capacity for over a decade now because of lack of raw nuts,” said Bobby Thomas, director of Wondernuts Ltd.

According to a 2013 tree census by Nuts and Oil Crops Directorate, there were two million cashew trees at the time, with 156,000 households directly depending on the crop for subsistence. Kwale, Kilifi and Lamu counties were once vibrant cashew producers.

However, the counties currently have a scattering of ageing trees that cannot guarantee the farmers better yields as before.

So far, cashew farmers in the region are few and scattered. In many places the trees are neglected and looking disease-ridden. Other farmers are considering other farming ventures to continue earning a leaving.

KALRO intervention

To remedy the cashewnut worsening situation, e head of horticulture and industrial crops research at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), Francis Muniu, says the current cashew trees in the coast region are ageing and cannot meet the required production to sustain economic growth.

“The trees are old and can no longer produce. However, at Kalro, we have new varieties that farmers have taken up and we believe that in a span of about three years, the story will change,” he said.

KALRO has therefore issued about 400,000 seedlings to farmers in the region. These clean planting materials can be accessed by farmers from KALRO’s Mtwapa (Industrial Crops Research Institute) or call +254-020-2024751.

“We understand that the aged trees are affected by powder-mildew disease which lowers the quality of production, but with the new seedlings, farmers are assured of good produce if they observe good production practices.”

In June this year European Union also launch a Sh240mn project targeting 15,000 cashewnut and sesame farmers in Kilifi, Kwale and Lamu counties as part of the efforts to revive the sector.

Notably, Kenya Cashewnuts Factory collapsed 20 years ago and was entrusted under a new management, the Millennium Nuts Company.

RELATED ARTICLE:Free cashew nut seedlings for Coast farmers

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Wondernuts Ltd which exports its products to the US and Europe as its biggest markets buys a kilo of the nuts at Sh100 ($1), which is the local market price at a time global markets offer Sh800 per kilo.

Currently, Tanzania is the largest producer of cashewnut in the region and the eight largest grower of cashewnut in the world and ranks fourth in Africa.

Wondernuts Ltd can be reached on +254-412318933

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: 26 November 2018; Hits: 5695

Company delivers rust tolerant soy bean to farmers’ doorstep and connects them to markets

estimates soya beans production to be 2000-5000 metric tonnes per year against domestic demand of 12,000 metric tonnes. In order to cut on importation costs, companies like Promidisor and Bidco are buying from local farmers at good rate of between Sh90-120 per kiloFarmers can now access a new high yielding rust tolerant soy bean variety at their doorstep by ordering the seed from MFARGO farmers group which delivers the seeds to farmers via courier services.

The Vihiga based company is selling a kilo of seeds at Sh190 per kilo with one acre of land requiring 20kg.

According to the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), the informal sector in Kenya accounts for about 60-70 per cent of most seeds planted by farmers across the country. These seeds are usually uncertified as they are produced at farm level or borrowed from other farmers therefore denying growers the chance to maximize yields in their farms. The hardest hit areas include western Kenya and the Rift Valley regions, which form a bulk of Kenya’s bread basket.

“With the SC Saga variety farmers can harvest between 1500 to 2000kg per acre double the existing varieties such as Namsoy 4M, Nyala, Black Hawk and Gazelle which yield between 600 to 1000 kilos. The variety is also resistant to rust - a disease that cuts the country’s production by a third annually,” said Dick Morgan, an agronomist at MFARGO.

It has a high oil content and pod clearance, larger seeds than ordinary types and is good for intercropping as it fixes nitrogen in the soil.

Farmer boosts maize nutrition with soy beans

Bidco Africa looking for 25,000 farmers to grow sunflower and soya beans

soy bean vihiga

Soy bean farming in Vihiga. Farmbiz Africa

The International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) estimates soya beans production to be 2000-5000 metric tonnes per year against domestic demand of 12,000 metric tonnes. In order to cut on importation costs, companies like Promidisor and Bidco are buying from local farmers Sh90-120 per kilo with MFARGO connecting more than 930 farmers to these markets.

MFARGO can be reached on +254 518 753

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: 26 November 2018; Hits: 7509

Fertiliser shortage causes crisis in Kenyan flower farms

Kenyan flower farms are facing an acute shortage of fertilizer due to delays by the Kenya Bureau of Standards to release 1.6m tonnes of fertiliser stuck at the port of Mombasa still awaiting inspection by the standards body.

750,000 metric tonnes of the fertilizer is held by Elgon Kenya while 880,000 is held by Yala awaiting inspection by KEBS.

According to the Kenya Flower Council, the sector has faced the crisis since June this year.

“Flower production might drop in quantity and quality in the next season and 150,000 employees may be rendered jobless due to the shortage,” said Clement Tulezi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Flower Council.

In June this year, KEBS Managing Director Charles Ongwae and nine other managers were arrested over importation of 5.846m of sub-standard fertilizer by OCP Kenya Ltd.

The fertilizer was tested twice according to the Director of Public Prosecutions but failed to meet the standards set KEBS but was nevertheless released to the market instead of being destroyed or being returned to the country of origin, Morocco.

While KEBS has traditionally certified the quality of fertilizers in the country of origin before shipment, it has introduced a new set of rules which include re inspecting all consignments at the port of entry as it seeks to tame proliferation of counterfeits.

Previously, the process to clear the fertilizer at the port took a period of one week. However, at the moment the process has dragged on for five months with no set deadline for release of the fertilizer into the market.

Tea farmers affected as global fertilizer prices rise by 15 per cent

Government says farmers who fail to register risk losing out on subsidized fertilizer

flower council

Flowers at a farm in Kenya. www.kenyaflowercouncil.org.

“Fertilizer suppliers are incurring up two million shillings daily in demurrage which they are passing to us , further pushing the cost of producing flowers up,” said Mary Kinyua, the Director of Human Resources at Oserian flower farm.

The Kenya flower sector has been an upward trend since 1988 but with the current fertilizer shortage, the peak season of flowers beginning in the December festive season up to Valentine’s Day in February will be affected.

Kenya has recorded growth in volume and value of cut flowers exported every year from 10,946 tons in 1988 compared to 86,480 tons in 2006, 120,220 tons in 2010, 136,601 tons in 2014, 133,658 in 2016 and 159, 961 tons in 2017. According to Horticultural Crop Directorate (HCD) in 2017, the floriculture industry earned $823m.

Kenya is the lead exporter of roses to the European Union (EU) with a market share of about 38 per cent. Approximately 50 per cent of exported flowers are sold through the Dutch Auctions, although direct sales are growing. Kenya flowers are sold in more than 60 countries.

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