market

: 04 June 2018; Hits: 13725

Online marketplace app connects farmers to buyers directly

A group of six software developers have developed an app that connects farmers directly to markets at a time when Sh150bn worth of produce was lost last year due to post-harvest losses arising from inadequate markets.

The app, Zalisha is an online platform (Android and web application) that offers a marketplace for agricultural products such as avocados, onions, pineapples, mangoes, maize and beans along with predictive weather and climate analytics and accurate agricultural advice for farmers.

The app was launched in May 2017 by six founders and developers Steve Momanyi, Elisha Misoi, Bedan Kamau, Martin Kamau, Vincent Tirgei and Vincent Omondi and has so far connected more than 500 farmers to markets.

App helps farmer predict his farming business

FAO launches mobile app to control fall armyworm

Zalisha is available on google play-store. To access it, one has to download it and install it on their mobile phones.

“Zalisha aims to help farmers get accurate and consistent weather for the present and future, give advice on crops to be planted, the timing, the required procedures for farming, how to combat crop pests and will advise farmers on the period for harvesting and how to do it safely, to gain maximum yield. This is done through video tutorials or quick notes,” said Steve Kombo, the Director of Zalisha.

zalisha

The developers of Zalisha app at the Chandaria Business and Incubation Center. Photo: Courtesy

The application offers farmers better and accurate predictive farming information depending on their various wards, by providing accurate soil, crop and microclimate data through a farmer portal that also keeps track of their farming activities.

“Zalisha connects farmers directly to the local consumer market. This will give independent farmers and cooperatives ability to sell their farm produce easily and as well enable buyers to contact farmers easily,” said Kombo.

Zalisha also provides a forum for one to ask and post questions related to their farming practices and provide a communication channel for farmers through the formation of communication channels and groups.

In 2017, Kenyan farmers lost 1.9m tonnes of food as they struggled to find markets according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.

Of the total food wasted, maize, Kenya’s staple food was the most affected with the country losing Sh29.6bn worth of the crop yet it imported another bunch worth Sh42bn.

Green bananas were the second most affected crop as farmers lost Sh24bn worth of the produce.

Other produce that went to waste due to poor storage and handling, transport, and fungi attack, according to data contained in the 2018 Economic Survey released in April, includes Irish potatoes (Sh19.7bn), milk (Sh12.4bn), beans (Sh11.5bn), ripe yellow bananas (Sh5.6bn), sweet potatoes (Sh3.5bn), tomatoes (Sh2.4bn), pineapples (Sh2.4bn), sorghum (Sh1.9bn), and millet (Sh1.6bn).

According to the survey, Kenya loses approximately a third of its produce yearly through post-harvest losses and wastage by consumers who buy more food than they can consume.

Zalisha can be reached on +254 706 059 906

Write comment (0 Comments)

: 04 June 2018; Hits: 6505

Agency launches Business to Business Forum to help Busia County farmers access markets

Busia

KCDMS Regional Manager Seth Yake and CECM for Agriculture at Hotel Itoya on Wednesday. Photo courtesy.

Kenya Crops and Dairy Market Systems Development (KCDMS) has launched a program dubbed Business to Business Forum that will enable Busia farmers benefit from easy access to markets for their products, diverse agricultural production and improved productivity.

Over 100 participants including producer, processing groups and business Development service groups met at Hotel Itoya on Wednesday last week for the inaugural Business to Business Forum to address challenges facing Busia crop and dairy farmers.

“Busia is among 12 counties in the country where the activity is being implemented and is designed to spur competitive, resilient market systems in Kenya’s horticulture and dairy sectors,” KCDMS Regional Manager Seth Yake.

” The B to B Forum is meant to link producers to markets and also other actors along the value chains of specific crops. These are intended to bring in the business fraternity within and without the county so that they can interact and make deals, and have future prospects enumerated.”

Yake said the program is funded as part of Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger, and food security initiative that helps to increase agricultural production and reduce poverty and malnutrition in Kenya.

He regretted that 90 percent of smallholder farmers still grow maize or other staple crops that have low income generation potential, adding that 70 per cent of Kenya’s domestic milk supply are constrained by nutrient-deficient animal feed and lack of productive cows and in-county processing.

County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture and Animal Resources Dr Moses Osia said the forum is a good opportunity for Busia farmers to get to know where they can sell their products.

” This is a very good opportunity for Busia farmers to produce and market their products. This is key for producers to add value to their crops,” he said.

” Our uptake are very low in applying for the concept from private sector actors with ideas for business growth, market expansion, and new technologies. We have done our best to bring program implementers, Research Triangle Institute to the ground. Why not write concepts even in broken English. We must beat Kisumu, Bomet and Makueni.

We should bring to an end the culture of importing eggs and feeds from Uganda whereas we are capable of producing them locally,” he said.

A farmer from Adongos Dairy Farmers Co-operative Society Dismas Etyang said the forum has enabled them get a buyer for their milk which is 900 litres per day.

Lilian Ouma said the forum had enabled her interact with market and Artificial Insemination providers, and extension officers which will open their products to the outside world and urgent attention when they are in dire need.

Write comment (0 Comments)

: 29 May 2018; Hits: 8561

Third largest sugar factory in Nyanza region closes down affecting 23000 farmers

Muhoroni Sugar Factory was closed down last week due to tax arrears amounting to Sh861m as demanded by the Kenya Revenue Authority, the company in charge of tax collection in the country.

In this, the factory owes KRA Sh212, 685,482 for income tax, Sh387, 305,281 for the main collection account and Sh266, 714,169 for the sugar development levy.

The move to close down the factory has affected more than 23,000 contracted farmers from Nandi and Kisumu regions who supply cane to the miller. The factory also owes workers three months’ salary in amount overdue.

Besides, Muhoroni, other sugar factories in the region include Sony Sugar, Kibos Sugar, and Chemelil Sugar factories.

Juice machine helps farmers earn six times more from sugarcane

County government to build own sugar factory saving farmers transport costs

The company controls 6.56 per cent market share in an industry that is led with Mumias Sugar factory in Western Kenya that controls 19.93 per cent of the total sugar output in Kenya.

It is not the first time for the factory to be closed down as it was also shut down two and half years ago in April 2016 due to machine break down.

muhoroni

A worker working in a sugar factory in the past. Photo: courtesy

Muhoroni has been cash-strapped since 2014, when it almost closed its doors after lacking funds to settle a Sh500m debt. At the time, the company had 30,000 tonnes of unsold sugar and was still producing 150 tonnes daily.

According to the 2018 economic survey report released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the total domestic sugar production declined by 41.2 per cent from 639.7 thousand tonnes in 2016 to 376.1 thousand tonnes in 2017.

A total of 989.6 thousand tonnes of sugar was imported in 2017 to bridge the deficit occasioned by the low production during the year. Most of the sugar imports were meant for final consumption at 83.1 per cent of total sugar imports.

During the year under review, the area under cane reduced to 191.2 thousand hectares compared to 220.8 thousand hectares in 2016. Reduction in cane area was attributable to conversion of some area under cane to other crops such as maize and soya beans.

Further, the quantity of cane delivered to factories reduced by 33.3 per cent from 7.2m tonnes in 2016 to 4.8m tonnes in 2017. This was on account of prolonged dry weather conditions which were unfavorable for the growth of cane leading to harvesting of immature cane. As a result, the average sugarcane yield reduced to 55.3 tonnes per hectare in 2017 compared to 62.2 tonnes per hectare in 2016, representing a decrease of 10.9 per cent.

Write comment (0 Comments)