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: 16 March 2017; Hits: 6729

Avocado farmers to earn more from EU in April

Avocado seller at a local market. Kenya avocado export has an expanded market in Europe in April ahead of the entry from Peru. Photo courtesy.

Kenyan farmers could enjoy an expanded market in April with the expected maturity delay of avocados from on the European Union’s leading exporter, Peru.

Although there is competition from all-year-round producers like Israel, the Kenyan avocado will have an opportunity due to its affordability ahead of May when the harvest from Peru would enter the market.

Peru produces more than 16,000 tonnes every year for export, and over 60 per cent of the harvest is goes into the European market.

Anton Bothama said the Kenyan avocado is cheaper by about two US Dollars when compared o that from Israel and Peru; this gives the exporters an upper hand in reaching the market that requires cheaper produce.

Bothama is an official of Eagle Fruit Alliance, an export company with offices in Kenya, Egypt and South Africa.

Avocado prices vary from six to eight US Dollars, in the European market. Netherlands is one of the biggest consumers of Kenyan avocado.

The country exported 78 containers and 534 tonnes by water and air to Europe in 2016, according to Fresh plaza, an online marketplace.

Bothama, however, said the harvest from Kenya in 2016 was of poor quality. This was as a result of poor packaging conditions, but added that this year will be different since the cold rooms and other facilities have been improved.

Middlemen in the supply chain also mix mature and immature fruits. This affects the quality of the export, therefore, tainting the Kenyan name in the market – in cases where importers do not deal with farmers directly.

Bothama told FreshPalza that mature avocados have high oil content and less water concentration in the flesh. Such high quality avocado fetches well in the export market.

Although the countrywide drought affected the development of the avocados, the size is expected to improve with the rains, which have started falling in the major production areas such as central, western, Nyanza, among others.

Sufficient rains can significantly improve the size of an avocado within seven to 10 days.

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: 15 March 2017; Hits: 7271

Cotton farmers to earn more as shortage bites

Cotton Joram Kaindi Mombas ASK By Laban Robert.JPG

Joram Kaindi of Syngenta briefs pupils on growing cotton at the agri-firm's demonstration farm in Mombasa during the 2016 ASK Show. The government has increased cotton prices to encourage more farmers to grow the cash crop for Rivatex and other factories. Photo by Laban Robert.

Farmers, who abandoned cotton for the closure of the ginneries, can revive their crop to meet the demand after the government announced increase the payment per kilo by Sh8.

Kenya’s biggest textile factory, Rift Valley Textile East Africa (Rivatex), is churning out only 10,000 bales per year.

The Eldoret-based factory processes 70,000 bales of yun per annum. The factory was operating at full capacity in the 1980’s until the introduction of secondhand clothes, commonly called mitumba, which suffocated it.

Cotton farmers have been receiving Sh42 per kilo, but the price has been increased to Sh50 to not only match that of Uganda and Tanzania, but also encourage more acreage.

The company managing Director Thomas Kipkurgat described the below-capacity operation as “severe shortage”.

The MD urged farmers to grow more cotton to enable the factory meet its raw material requirement, which will in turn create more jobs and revenue for all.

Moi University Research Centre bought Rivatex in 2007 after nine years under receivership.

Cotton does well in most regions in Kenya, which include Nyanza, Western, Coast, central, Eastern and Rift Valley.

The garment making crop does well in warm regions with rainfall of between 850mm and 1100mm per year. Maximum yields cannot be achieved below a rainfall of 500mm unless with the support of irrigation.

Apart from having a humid climate and loamy soil, the temperatures should be between 20 and 28 degrees Celsius through the year.

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: 13 March 2017; Hits: 6932

Some 23,000 potato farmers to access markets

Kiambu County farmer, Patrick Njenga, harvesting potatoes from his Kimende farm in 2016. International organisations are working to contract over 23,000 farmers so enable them access potao markets. Photo by Laban Robert.

International organizations have started working together in supporting the more than 800,000 potato farmers access markets besides enabling processors receive a constant flow of quality produce.

In the plan, at least 23,000 farmers from various are to be contracted to deliver at least 63.5 tonnes of the potatoes by mid 2019.

But the overall outlook is to have a total monthly yield of 2,650 tonnes to selected processors.

The East Africa Potato Consortium (EAPC), which was formed in 2015 out of a partnership of Grow Africa, Alliance for a Green Revolution Africa and the National Potato Council, will oversee the contracting process.

There are about 800,000 potato farmers in Meru, Nyandarua, Nakuru, Elgeyo Marakwet, Laikipia, Bungoma, among other counties in Kenya.

But the market has remained a challenge with the intervention of middlemen in the purchase of quality seeds and marketing leaves them exploited.

Under the new partnership, processors will also have a constant supply of the goods, Grow Africa Head of East and Southern Africa Leah Kasera said.

“Farmers produce about 2.8 tonnes of potatoes per acre instead of 12. Maximum yield can be realised with quality seeds, good management practices, among other production factors,” Kasera said.

Certified seeds would not only guarantee high yields for farmers, but also give the best shape for the potatoes to meet the desire of the processors.

Besides, fast food chips, potatoes are processed into crisps and other products to extend the shelf life and expand the market reach for more earnings.

The Sereni Fries Processing Company Managing Director Humphrey Mburu said the machines are working on about five tonnes per day instead of maximum 15 tonnes required.

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