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: 08 November 2017; Hits: 17036

Malindi best market for farmers’ agro produce

Carrots ready for sale

Malindi, the largest urban center in Kilifi County has surpassed Mombasa as the town with the highest prices for agro produce in Kenya. The town is paying the highest prices for food prices, making it the best market for farmers’ agricultural produce.

In 2016, Mombasa was the city with the highest prices according to soko+, a digital commodity trading and information system, linking small scale farmers to end retailers/bulk purchasers of produce.

In 2016, a 138 kg of carrots bag for instance was selling at Sh5, 500 in Mombasa’s Kongowea market while in Malindi it went for sh4000. In 2017 the same amount is retailing at sh4140 in Malindi, sh3800 in Mombasa and Nairobi, sh3500 in Kisumu with Eldoret being the cheapest at sh1800. This shows the average price of carrots in 2017 dropped by sh1360 a decline of 25%.

carrot price.JPG

A 50 kg bag of white irish potatoes is retailing at sh4400 in Malindi, sh3000 in Mombasa a difference of sh1400. The same amount trades at sh3000 in Nakuru, and sh3500 in Kisumu. Eldoret pays the lowest prices at sh2300 for the same amount.

A majority of small scale farmers in Malindi grow cassava, coconut palms, cashew nuts, yams, millet and sweet potatoes.

Groundnuts earn farmers more among all agro produce with 110 kg retailing at sh14850 in Malindi, sh8800 in Nakuru, sh9900 in Eldoret, sh9200 in Kisumu and sh9500 in Nairobi.

The highest prices in Malindi can be attributed to it being a popular tourism destination site for local and international tourists who visit the town for her sandy beaches and marine parks.

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: 07 November 2017; Hits: 11839

High demand for avocadoes, honey and aloe vera in Kenyan industries

The vibrant cosmetics industry is giving Kenyan farmers a new market for avocadoes as companies incorporate it in their products. The production of avocado in Kenya is estimated at 115.000 metric tons per year, 70% of which is grown by small-scale farmers.

Related article: Aloe Vera prices at an all-time high

The main areas where avocados are grown in Kenya are the central highlands of Kenya mainly Thika, Muranga, Nyeri, Embu and Meru areas. However, there are other avocado growing zones outside Central Kenya. These include Eldoret, Kisii, Subukia, Nakuru and Naivasha. One box of fresh Kenya avocado retails at around sh460 in Nairobi, packed and ready for shipment.

Avocado photo by mt-kenya-avocado-farmer.jpg

An avocado farmer in Central Kenya holding her produce ready for market

Related article: Free Avocado seedlings for Kirinyaga farmers

“One of the products in high demand in the beauty industries is avocadoes; avocado oil is used to make lotions which are very good on the skin as they fight bacterial and fungal infections, the same oil can be used to make soaps” says Lilian Muturi, an entrepreneur in the beauty sector and a researcher at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

“I urge graduates who are looking for jobs to venture into farming as the demand for agricultural products used in the beauty sector is big, graduates should not just stay idle and wait for employment”

Indeed, by engaging in the growing of certain plants, farmers can benefit from the small and medium enterprises that are processing products using raw materials that are directly sourced from the farm. Olivado for instance, a company that deals with avocado products supports more than 1350 farmers in central Kenya. The company has a capacity of 900MT of organic extra virgin avocado oil per year.

Aloe vera is another plant that has seen increased demand due to its benefits in skin care. A kilogram of the plants’ fresh leaves is retailing at sh35 up from sh25, two years ago, according to local processor Herbal Garden Limited.

It used to make aloe vera lotions and bathing soaps that as acts a remedy for skin conditions, including burns, sunburn, frostbite, psoriasis and cold sores. Aloe vera can be grown in Ukambani and coastal areas with sandy soils. The best type of sandy soil for this crop is one that mimics the dirt found in the desert. It should be rocky and with low water content.

Honey is also a major component in the manufacturing sector as is used by pharmaceuticals and companies in the beauty sector. Kenya’s potential for apiculture development is estimated at over 100,000 tonnes of honey and 10,000 tonnes of beeswax per annum according to the Kenya Honey Council.

“Other than being applied on bread, they can also be mixed with lotions so as to prevent viral infections on the skin including rashes and pimples” said Muturi.

The growing demand for local agricultural produce will help create employment especially the youth who can venture into farming as a full time job. Unemployed youth can also act as agents to supply the companies with the much needed produce and link farmers with the market.

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: 03 November 2017; Hits: 5566

Uasin Gishu farmers counting losses due to heavy rains

Smallholder farmers in Kenya’s bread basket of Uasin Gishu are counting losses as the heavy rains that pounded the area just before harvesting began has affected the quality of produce in their farms. Most of the cereals have been lost due to rotting and swelling. Consequently, most of the produce cannot meet the threshold set by the National Cereals and Produce Board.

Every day, millions of Kenyans are consuming maize in various meals. Githeri, Ugali, maize flour cakes, Uji (porridge) are just among few delicacies prepared from maize crop. The rotting maize therefore means there will be low produce to be put on the table for Kenyan families.

Farmers drying maize in preparation for sale

In 2016, the Kenya’s National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) issued a directive to all of its depots across the North-Rift Region not to accept maize that has moisture content of below 13.5 percent. Anything above this limit is considered unsafe for human consumption and therefore rejected at the point of sale. The grain growers want the government to make an exemption this time and relax the limit for moisture content.

Some farmers in the region finished harvesting their maize a week ago and now drying it before delivery to NCPB, but the big challenge is that their maize has high moisture content which will hamper the marketing of their yields. The rains also mean the farmers who depend on the sun to dry their grains are facing challenges as there is no enough sunlight.

One of the farmers, Francis Cheruiyot says after sorting his harvested maize before shelling, he found out that only half of them were fit with the rest having rotted in the farm. The rot is not only eating away the maize but also the returns. Cheruiyot who expected to sell 120 bags of maize will now have to contend with selling only about 50 as he still has to set aside some for subsistence consumption.

It is projected that 37.9 million bags of maize, majority of these from smallholder farmers will be realized from both the long and short rains in 2017. This represents a decline of 4.4 % of the long term average (LTA) of 40 million bags and a slight increase from the 36.9 million bags realized in 2016. The decline in overall production was attributed to reduction in area under maize by 5.1%, late rainfall onset coupled with long dried spells mid-season and Fall Army Worm invasion.

The Kenyan government is currently buying maize from farmers at Sh. 3200 per 90 kg bag as compared to Sh. 3000 in 2016, a slight increase of 6.7%.

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