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: 29 October 2018; Hits: 9926

Kajiado tomato farmers to earn maximally from their produce after the ban on the oversized packaging

tomato extended crates packaging

Tomato farmers in Kajiado County are set to reap maximum profit from their produce after the county’s move to ban on the overfilled crates of tomatoes and extended onion nets.

The overweight crates commonly known as “Turbo” and which are packed in different weights for the Nairobi, Mombasa and local markets were banned for exploiting farmers.

Kajiado County Executive Committee Member for Trade Jackline Koin, in a Press briefing, said the County has heard the cries of farmers and has made the decision to curb the exploitation of the farmers by middlemen.

“We have taken this decision to cushion farmers from continued exploitation. This unscrupulous practice has resulted in serious losses and affected their economic well-being of the farmers. It must stop with immediate effect,” said Koin.

The minister said a strong County inter-departmental team will be formed to implement the ban. Koin cited the provisions of the active Kajiado County Finance Act which had clearly stipulated the weights of both the big and small crates and nets of farm produce.

RELATED ARTICLE: Packaging law becomes traders’ hot potato

The Act also states that the big crate is charged a levy of Sh70 while the small one is charged Sh50.

“The ban sets out to standardize units of measuring and weighing products.Those defying this order will be prosecuted,” Said Koin

She also warned transporters against hiring out their vehicles to carry the overweight crates as they risk forfeiting them to the County Government. The ban will be implemented at all revenue collection points and officers have been directed to enforce the directive.

Some of Kajiado’s biggest producers of agricultural produce are Loitokitok,Kimana, Rombo, Kitengela, parts of Kajiado East and parts of Kajiado North Sub Counties.

Such a ban has been successfully implemented in Taita Taveta County, one of the largest producers of tomatoes.

This will be the second ban on overweight products in Kajiado County after the County successfully standardized the weight of sand carried from the county early this year.

According to FAO’s enhancing competitiveness of Africa’s small and medium agro-enterprises through the development of food packaging systems, improving food packaging enable SMAEs to access more competitive markets in turn leading to increased incomes for farmers.

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: 25 October 2018; Hits: 6224

US Government grants Sh4.5bn to fund Livestock Market Systems program in Northen Kenya

cattle livestock in kenya Zablon

Over 240,000 households in Northern Kenya are set to benefit from Sh4.5bn grant by the US Government to fund a program dubbed the Livestock Market Systems that will cover five counties I n the region.

Under the program pastoralists will receive grants, undergo vocational and technical education, business support services, and policy expertise to expand and diversify economic opportunities.

Already a total of 94,000 households in the five counties which include Garissa, Isiolo, Marsabit, Turkana, and Wajir have already benefitted from USAID’s investments to support pastoralist communities to cope better with and recover from climate-related stresses.

According to the US Ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec, the five-year project funded through the “Feed the Future program” of the US government will strengthen market systems in Northern Kenya.

“The US Government is committed to unlocking the full economic potential of the Arid and Semi-Arid Land (ASAL) counties. We will continue to support the trade of livestock, livestock products, pasture and fodder production, and fishing,” he said.

Godec said this on Wednesday when he opened the Lodwar livestock market in Turkana County that was upgraded to the tune of Sh38 million.

He said the improved structures and facilities will spur economic growth in the livestock industry and create wealth, employment and resilience within the community.

Ambassador Godec emphasised that support to entrepreneurs and local businesses are a key component of Feed the Future, the United States Government’s global hunger and food initiative.

The initiative works to reduce hunger and poverty, increase social stability, and build strong foundations for economic growth through strengthened social, economic, and environmental resilience.

The Lodwar Livestock Market was built through the Resilience and Economic Growth in the Arid Lands-Accelerated Growth (REGAL-AG) program and the water system for this market was constructed under the Kenya Resilient Arid Lands Partnership for Integrated Development (Kenya RAPID) program.

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: 25 October 2018; Hits: 6383

Murang’a farmers urged to take advantage of direct flights to the USA to export avocados

Murang’a County farmers have been urged to take advantage of direct flights to the United States of America set to be launched on 28^th October to export their produce to the American market.

“Farmers should take advantage of this new flight route to explore new markets so as to increase their returns,” said Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata who was on a visit to the US a fortnight ago in a bid to identify agricultural marketing opportunities for Kenyan farmers.

Direct flights by Kenya Airways from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport will take about 15 hours non-stop from the current 25 hours, a reduction of 10 hours.

Muran’ga County has approximately 3,0000 farmers who are currently supplying their produce to Kakuzi Company Ltd through more than 60 cooperative societies. In 2017, the farmers sold produce worth Sh19.3m.

Government launches Hass Avocado farming in Nyamira

Good news for Kenyan avocado farmers and traders as South African export market re-opens

avocato hass

Hass avocado variety. Courtesy

Kenya became the largest exporter of avocados in Africa in 2017 in Africa, exporting a record volume of 51, 507 tons to the world according to statistics by the International Trade Center.

Kenya’s pool of the biggest importers includes the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and more recently, the Russian Federation. The UAE tops the list with some 12, 041 tons for the 2017 timeline.

The second, third, and sixth major export markets for Kenya avocados are all in Europe. The Netherlands leads the pack with 10, 556 tons of the fruit from the 2017 statistics. France is the third biggest importer: its net volume stood at 10, 423 tons in the same year. The United Kingdom and Spain close the top 7 with volumes that verged on 2,944 and 1,734 tons respectively in 2017.

Saudi Arabia is the country’s fourth importer with some 4, 874 tons worth of imports in 2017. The Russian Federation currently holds the 5th position in trade volumes that have culminated at 4,171 tons in 2017. The direct flight to USA will therefore open a new frontier market for Kenyan farmers to diversify market destinations.

Avocados contain a wide variety of nutrients including 20 different vitamins and minerals. They are rich in potassium and loaded with healthy fatty acids and can lower cholesterol.

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