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: 12 June 2018; Hits: 11191

Kenya to host the Fourth National Green Growth Conference and Exhibition

National Green Growth Conference and Exhibition

Kenya is set to host a two-day event to promote sustainable development which will give everyone the opportunity to contribute to the goal of promoting a greener country under a theme, “Key Sectorial opportunities in Kenya’s green growth strategy.”

The event which is slated for 12th and 13th July 2018 at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC), Nairobi will bring together stakeholders at a forum that seeks to share knowledge and explore avenues to synergize efforts.

The forum draws its relevance in addressing challenges in Green Growth and sharing experiences and opportunities of the same at a lower level to reach the grass root players.

National Green Growth Conference and Exhibition event is organised by Micro-Enterprises Support Programme (MESPT) and other proactive organisations in the private and public sector in Kenya that champion sustainable development.

An event of such kind was first organised by MESPT in 2014. The theme was “Unlocking Green Growth in Kenya”. The aim was to create awareness on green growth initiatives, with a focus on the roles of smart investments and Public private partnerships. This forum revealed enormous potential and avenues for both the private and public sector to partner and adopt green growth initiatives in different sectors.

The event is linked to the recently launched national Green Economy Strategy and Implementation Plan (GESIP) 2016-2030.

In addition, the conference gives participants the opportunity to share knowledge and to network as it attracts actors and decision makers in the sectors of energy, agriculture, waste management, water resource management, green financing and academia sectors, among others.

Green growth presents a new approach to a sustainable economic development because it puts human well-being at the centre of economic development while promoting wise use of natural resources.

People who have excelled in promoting green growth will also be recognised for their efforts.

It will also be a chance for creating business opportunities by players and chance for climate change discussions on three key building blocks to be guided by experts speakers and high level panelists discussing trends and impacts of climate change at global and local level, green economy in the context of sustainable production and consumption, Kenya’s green growth policies, strategies and commitments, key green growth financing opportunities in the country, among other topics.

There will then be three breakout sessions focusing on three discussions on the role of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the stimulation and implementation of green growth development agenda in agriculture, energy, transport and manufacturing.

Finally, the exhibition block will be showcasing green technologies available locally and how far Kenya has fared in promoting green growth.

Attendance Packages

Conference Attendance Fee (1½ Days)

Corporate (4 Pax) Individual Student

Ksh. 15,000 Ksh. 3,000 Ksh. 1,000

NB: The participation fee caters for 10 o’clock tea & snacks, lunch, water, 4 0’clock tea & Snacks and one Gala Cocktail. Delegates to cater for their own transport and accommodation costs

Exhibition Stand Fees (1½ Days)

Corporate Individual Students

Ksh. 50,000 Ksh. 12,000 Ksh. 5,000

NB: The participation fee caters for 10 o’clock tea & snacks, lunch, water, 4 o’clock tea & Snacks and one Gala Cocktail. Fees also caters for conference attendance and standard décor

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: 12 June 2018; Hits: 14764

Why Passion fruit exporter is buying produce from Eldoret region

Kerys Kool Fresh, a grower and exporter of fresh exotic fruits and vegetables is looking for farmers specifically from Eldoret region to supply them with passion fruits for export to the international market.

"The company buys the produce at different prices depending on whether delivered in Nairobi or take from the farm level. At farm level the price is usually between Sh70 to Sh100. If delivered to Nairobi by the farmer, grade one price ranges between Sh120 to Sh140," said Simon Kirima, the operations Manager at the company.

The payment mode depends on what is agreed but mostly its between cash on delivery to seven days on delivery. It can be either through Mpesa or
cash deposit to the suppliers bank account.

Kerys Kool Fresh either buy on Monday or Fridays or any other day agreed and prefers delivery of at least two tonnes.

The company says passion fruits grown in the Eldoret region mature faster in 60 days and a have a deep purple color when ripe preferred by consumers.

Government agency helps farmers sell passion fruits and avocadoes

Passion fruits, French beans and snap peas farmers win bid to supply Nairobi businessman

As of April 2018, a 57kg bag of passion fruits was retailing at Sh4125 down fromSh4523 recorded in March according to data from the Agriculture and Food Authority.

Kenya produces an estimated 55,300 metric tonnes of passion fruits annually valued at Sh1.9bn.

The fruit is used to make fresh drinks such as juice.

passion fruit 2

Besides buying passion fruits, Kirima is also promoting the adoption of passion fruit farming in the North Rift region at a time when maize production is dropping in the region due to Fall Armyworm invasion.

"In this, the procedure starts by either calling or writing to us we hold a meeting to discuss, then we visit the farm and advice on many
things like the soil test, seedlings to plant, how to transplant and other agricultural practices," said Kirima.

According to the ministry of agriculture maize production in Uasin Gishu dropped from 4.4m bags in 2016 to 3.7m bags in 2016.

Kirima spoke to FarmBiz Africa on Friday June 6^th on the conclusion of the international flower trade expo that was held at Oshwal Center in Nairobi Kenya.

The expo brought together more than 200 fresh produce growers and exporters of flowers from Kenya and international markets such as Netherlands, United Kingdom, France and Germany.

This comes at a time when exports values of fruits and vegetables increased by 23.3 per cent and three per cent, respectively in 2017 according to the 2018 economic survey report released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics in April this year.

In this, fruits earned Kenya nine billion shillings in foreign exchange on export volumes of 56,945 tonnes while vegetables raked in Sh24bn on export volumes of 87,240 tonnes.

Production of fruits increased from 48,700 tonnes to 56.945 tonnes while production of vegetables increased from 78,800 tonnes to 87,240 tonnes.

“One hectare of land can yield 15 to 20 tonnes of the produce enough to earn farmers up to one million shillings compared to maize which earn between Sh35,000 to Sh60,000 per acre,” said Kirima.

Kirima can be reached on +254 722 696 180.

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: 11 June 2018; Hits: 6378

Why Kenyan flowers are doing well in the international markets despite the off-peak period

flower expo IFTEX

Flowers at a stand during the International Flower Trade Expo (IFTEX) at Oshwal Centre, Westlands Nairobi last week. Photo: Zablon Oyugi.

Kenya flowers are performing well pricewise in the international markets despite the current off-peak period for the produce. The heavy rains that has pounded the country for the past two months have slowed down production which is however meeting the current demand.

According to Mary Muthiane of My Choice Flower, a flower firm in a 30 acre land in Machakos which trades in summer flowers, single head roses and spray roses, heavy rains slows down the opening of flower petals reducing growth.

"Flowers do well in warm conditions but due to the cold weather caused by the heavy rains in the past few months we have seen production fall,” said Muthiane.

“However, this has favoured producers due to low demand in the market as the price is still high with the low production matching the demand in the market. This has ensured no produce goes to waste.”

Some of the leading flower farms in the country such as Van Den Berg for example reported a drop of about 20 per cent due to the cold weather associated with the rains.

According to the stakeholders, Kenyan flower market is at its peak between February and May every year as buyers target Valentine's Day of February 14^th, Mother's Day in the month of March or May and International Women's Day of March eighth every year.

Within this period the industry always gets busy and production is high with harvesting happening every week,” said Moses Kioko, an employee at Kiriki Limited, a flower farm in Thika which owns four farms across different altitudes in Kenya.

Another advantage Kenyan flowers have over others is the longer shelf life of over 21 days complimenting their quality. This makes shipping them worriless as they reach the designated markets before their petals fully opens.

“Kenyan climate and soil is favourable for flower cultivation. We export between 50,000 and 70,000 flower stems to Seychelles, Netherlands and Middle East countries every month. We sell a stem at Sh40,” said Muthiane.

The sector kept up an improved performance in 2017 to gross revenues totaling to Sh82bn which places it only second to tea in agricultural exporting earnings for government.

According to 2017,2016 statistics by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), a total of 159,961 and 133,658 metric tonnes of cut-flowers valued at Sh82,249 and 70,829 million were exported in January - December 2017 and 2016 respectively, this represent an increment of 20 per cent and 16 percent in volume and value respectively.

A total of 56,945 metric tonnes of fruits valued at Sh9,009m were exported between January and December 2017while a total of 87,240 metric tonnes of vegetables valued at Sh24,065m were exported in 2017 compared to 78,790 metric tonnes valued at Sh23,367m the previous year. This represents an increase of 11 per cent in the quantities sold and three per cent in value.

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