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: 09 August 2018; Hits: 8283

Agency to link 113,292 smallholder farmers with 244 buyers to sell commodities

CASSAVA TUBERS

Farm Concern International (FCI), an Africa-wide agri-market development agency, has partnered with Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to link 113,292 smallholder cassava and sweet potato farmers in 272 commercial villages in Kenya and Tanzania with 244 buyers in a project dubbed Expanded Commercial Village Processing Programme (ECVPP).

The project goal is to increase the smallholder farmers’ productivity and market access for cassava and sweet potato in Busia, Makueni, Kilifi, Mtwapa, Mwala and Homabay in Kenya and Meru and Kibaha sites in Tanzania.

It is estimated that the project will consume USD 144 million, support from AGRA, and will last for a period of 3 years.

aims to strengthen the capacity and efficiency of farmer organizations to inclusively produce cassava and sweet potato, and market collectively through commercial villages.

The programme also promotes use of agronomic best practices and quality inputs for increased market-led production for these value chains.

A core component of this programme is market linkages to cassava and sweet potato smallholder farmers to markets.

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Friday, 29 January 2021 [quote=Marcella Nyang'oro]Hi I have fresh cassava available [/quote] Hi Marcell...

Tuesday, 26 January 2021 Hi I have fresh cassava available

: 08 August 2018; Hits: 8466

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

Kenyan tea farmers are set to pay Sh2,000 for a 50kg bag of fertilizer up from Sh1,730 last year driven by rise in global fertilizer prices according to the Kenya Tea Development Agency who supply farmers with the product.

Data from KTDA indicate that the average landed cost for a ton of fertilizer at the port of Mombasa rose from Sh26,032 last year to Sh28,950 this year.

In 2016, farmers bought a 50kg bag of fertilizer from the agency at Sh1,493.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reports that the average prices of one ton of NPK fertilizer has been increasing since October last year from Sh25,200 to the current Sh26,000.

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TEA PICKING

Tea picking in Kenya. Courtesy

The rise in prices is attributes to the increase in crude oil prices from $52.51 to $68.31 according to online analytics website statista.com. Crude oil and natural gas are some of the ingredients used in manufacturing fertilizer.

KTDA has imported 84,770 tons of fertilizer to be distributed to over 600,000 smallholder tea farmers in the country.

Farmers are advised to apply the fertilizer at the onset of the short rains in September to boost production.

The area under tea increased by 6.5 per cent from 218.5 thousand hectares in 2016 to 232.7 thousand hectares in 2017 according to the Economic Survey Report of 2018.

However, production of tea reduced by seven per cent from 473.0 thousand tonnes in 2016 to 439.8 thousand tons in 2017.

In this, tea production by small holder growers decreased by 7.3 per cent to 246.1 thousand tons in 2017 while output within the tea estates declined by 6.6 per cent to 193.7 thousand tons over the same period.

The depressed tea production was attributed to the drought that was experienced during the first half of 2017. The average yield for the small holder growers decreased from 2,086.4 kilograms per hectare in 2016 to 1,913.7 kilograms per hectare in 2017 while that within the tea estates decreased from 2,908.8 kilograms per hectare in 2016 to 2,603.5 kilograms per hectare in 2017.

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: 07 August 2018; Hits: 8931

Farmers in need of urgent market for their over 1.35 tonnes of garlic

garlic 1

Farmers from Nyeri and Nakuru counties are urgently looking for market for their more than 1.35 tonnes of garlic upon harvesting after the long rain season which ended two months ago resulting into good yields.

The farmers who harvested the onions last week are now curing them setting them ready for market. However, they are decrying of the infiltration of foreign garlic in the Kenyan markets making it difficult for local farmers to sell.

“I harvested a tone of garlic two weeks ago and I have been curing them while in search of market which has become challenging due to imported garlic from Ethiopia and China,” said Samuel Njuguna, a farmer from Endarashsa, Nyeri County.

The farmer says that before the infiltration, the market price of the onions used to trail at Sh360 per kilo but with the cheap imported garlic, the price has drastically dropped.

“I was lured into garlic production due to its high value in market as compared to other onions which goes at Sh60 per kilo but now the price of the onions has dropped to Sh260 or even Sh150 for local farmers,” said Njuguna.

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He has been growing red bulb onions within his two acres piece of land but decided to try out garlic during the past long rain period as the crop needs much water to thrive.

With the challenging market, Njuguna is thinking of embarking on red bulb onions for the short rain season expected towards the end of the year.

For Minnie Kang’ethe who grows garlic in her quarter acre farm in Lanet, Nakuru County, she harvested the crop last week and she has been looking for where to sell with an expectation of a good price given it is her first time to venture into the onion production.

“Hustling for market has not been easy. Every market i have visited including Marikiti Market in Nakuru and Nairobi, I find the Chinese garlic everywhere and consumers say they are cheap and long lasting giving a challenge to our local produce,” said Kang’ethe.

She is now willing to sell the produce between Sh300 and Sh260 for all first-comers. She has about five bags of 90kgs which she is currently curing.

Any interested buyer can contact Njuguna on +254 711079322 and Kang’ethe on +254 708013898.

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