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: 25 August 2021; Hits: 2021

Sh1bn Vipingo factory a boon to cashew nut farmers

Cashew nut

By George Munene

Centum Investment PLC has kicked off the construction of a Sh1 billion cashew nut processing plant at Vipingo, Kilifi County. The factory is scheduled to be operationalised by the first quarter of 2022 and will have a processing capacity of over 6,000 tons of raw nuts offering a market to farmers who have been forced to turn to other crops after the state-owned Kilifi Cashewnut Ltd closed its doors 30 years ago.

Despite cashew nuts being highly prized in the international market--a kilogram goes for Sh950--its farming in Kenya has declined precipitously since the closure of the processing factory in 1990.

The factory constructed at Vipingo Development Limited's manufacturing hub will buy cashews from thousands of farmers in the coast to supplement raw nuts obtained from the 200-acre Vipingo Development cashew nut plantation.

“Signing up coastal farmers for supply of raw nuts will guarantee the minimum supply threshold for an all-year operation.

The packaged nuts will be sold to both local and international buyers, especially targeting markets with the highest returns," pointed out Vipingo Development Limited managing director Ken Mbae in a press release.

The factory's construction at Vipingo Industrial Park will provide close proximity to the port. This will save on transport costs for imported raw materials, enabling the selling of finished products at a discount.

Vipingo Development Limited is a fully owned subsidiary of Centum Investment PLC and is behind the transformation of the former 10,000-acre Rea Vipingo sisal plantation into an urban node comprising residential, commercial, industrial, hospitality, health care and school districts.

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: 17 August 2021; Hits: 2210

Online marketplace opens for banana, tuber & root crop farmers

cassava 2

By George Munene

Kagoka Foods, an Agritech startup, and social enterprise is partnering with small-scale farmers to promote the growing of tuber, root, and banana crops in Kenya by giving them a market for yams, arrow roots, pumpkins, sweet potato, and bananas.

The company has a focus on promoting the growing, processing, value addition, packaging, and marketing of indigenous, high-value traditional and other food crops. These include pumpkins, arrow roots, cassava, yams, sweet potatoes, and bananas.

For farmers to qualify as Kagoka Foods Limited growers they will need to be registered and have the quality of their farm produce confirmed.

Harvesting from farmers is done through a controlled process that avoids losses. The produce is then weighed and farmers are receipted. Delivery vans pick up produce which are efficiently delivered to warehouses for processing and packing before orders are prepared readied for dispatch. Through their easy-to-use marketplace app website (kagoka foods), and app (androidappsap kagoka-foods), vendors and consumers are able to easily place their orders. The produce is then delivered to the client’s doorstep free of charge.

These cheap and organized logistics help bridge the gaps between small-scale farmers and the wide urban market platform delivering to clients through efficient and timely processes.

The company is based on Kagoka Avenue Golf View Court, Kenyatta Road Estate off Thika Road, Nairobi. It also links small-scale farmers, women, and youth farmers providing a channel for them to sell their produce to local vendors, hypermarkets, and the export market while creating job opportunities. This ensures fair, transparent, and market competitive prices for their pool of farmers which raises their incomes.

Small scale farmers interested in partnership can email; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or SMS on 0780407558 for additional details.

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: 13 August 2021; Hits: 3808

NCPB opens storage facilities to wheat farmers to help mitigate losses

NCPB

By George Munene

The National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) will open its storage facilities to wheat farmers this season to help them avoid post-harvest handling losses. The move will also enable farmers to keep their produce in reserve, fetching better future prices when markets are not flooded and the amount of cheaper imports has reduced.

The service will be offered at silos in Nairobi, Nakuru, Narok, and Eldoret branches. NCPB will charge Sh81 for every 90 kg bag stored-- a cost to be shouldered by both the miller and farmer.

This move will also help small-scale farmers, most of whom lack proper storage infrastructure.

Once the grain has been delivered by farmers, millers can buy the wheat and offtake from one of the board's silos.

Wheat buyers can access grade one wheat for Sh3,700, and grade two for Sh3,600. The price of grade three wheat will be determined through consultation between the farmers and miller.

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