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: 19 April 2021; Hits: 2433

Fertilizer manufacture enlisting organic farmers to supply ready market

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By George Munene

Mazao Organics, a non-synthetic fertilizer manufacturer has a ready market for various organically grown crops and is looking for farmers across the country to cultivate chemical-free tomatoes, onions, carrots, capsicums, potatoes, sweet potatoes, arrow roots, spring onions, cabbages, spinach, sukuma, dhania, ground peas, matoke and iceberg lettuce.

The company which currently has 60 large and small-scale farmers advises farmers on what to grow depending on their locality adhering to the team’s strict supervision. With a database tracking the various stages of growth of their various farmers, produce is picked from growers when ready and delivered directly to organic buyers. This alleviates the hustle of having to source for markets from farmers.

“With the proliferation of nutrition-based diseases such as cancer, obesity, hypertension and diabetes there's increased demand for chemical-free farmed food produce—a market gap we are trying to but are nowhere near fulfilling,” says Eric Mwiti, director of sales and marketing at Mazao Organic Fertilizers.

Increasingly, farmers' cost of production through conventional means has also shot up. As Eric explains, it has been practically authenticated that organic farming through Mazao organic fertilizers decreases farming expense by 40-50 percent. While fertilizer and chemical production of an acre can set a farmer back anywhere from Sh14-20 thousand, the use of organic inputs reduced this cost down to Sh 10-11 thousand.

“Our existing farmers are currently growing onions, potatoes, coffee, tea, miraa, maize, papayas and tomatoes in Kilifi, Loitoktok, Kitengela, Ruiru, Nyeri, Embu, Tharaka and many other regions of the country,” he says.

The agro-manufacturer has been in existence for 11 months and is working with various agricultural players such as Kenchick in the development of mazao digester, an eco-friendly biological treater and odor extinguisher. They are also working with Digifarm Safaricom’s integrated mobile platform by supplying fertilizers to their organic farmers.

Mazao Organic Fertilizers: 0708 114025

Eric Mwiti: Inbox/WhatsApp; 0726280326

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Monday, 19 April 2021 I am a medium scale farmer and planning to venture into organic farming. I'd lo...

: 06 April 2021; Hits: 2284

Government directive increases sugarcane buying price by 10%

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By George Munene

The minimum buying price of sugarcane has been reviewed from ShSh3, 700 per tonne to Sh4,040 as of April 1, 2021.

Also announced was the setting up of sucrose testing units in cane growing zones that will mark a migration to quality rather than a quantity-based system of compensation.

The 10 per cent rise marks the first appraisal of the price of cane in the country since 2018 and is in line with the recommendations made by the interim Sugarcane Pricing Committee constituted by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya urged any farmer being paid less by a miller to report them, warning; “Any cases of non-compliance will attract a fine of not less than Sh50, 0000 or one-year imprisonment as per Section 37 of the Crops Act, 2013.”

Speaking at Kilimo House, Munya added that by end of June the government will have finished setting up sucrose testing units in all sugarcane growing zones. This will mark a migration to a quality-based system of compensation meaning pay for cane will be tested before being delivered to the miller and what is paid to farmers pegged on the sugarcane’s sucrose content.

For predictability and creating a level playing field within the sugar sector, the government will also be reviewing all contracts between growers and millers. “We want farmers to know when they grow their cane it will not rot in the farm but be harvested within a specified period, Munya said. With the new parameters set to be implemented within the sector, millers will also have seven days to settle payments to farmers after they deliver sugarcane to them.

While lauding the measure, Nzoia Outgrower Company chair Christopher Sifuna cautioned; “farmer’s bigger problem is not the buying price of cane but payment. Since 2019 Nzoia Sugar Company as an example has amassed farmer debts of close to seven million shillings. Companies that do not pay farmers within the stipulated period should have their milling permits revoked until they have paid the debts owed to farmers.”

Farmers also still contend that this increase still does not truly reflect fair value for their cane. The price rise is based on a single cane byproduct; sugar; however, millers have branched out into making use of several other sugarcane byproducts by setting up distilleries and paper-making plants these returns have as yet to trickle down to farmers.

Kenya’s expected sugarcane consumption for the year is anticipated at 1.07 million tonnes against an expected production of 660,000 tonnes.

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: 30 March 2021; Hits: 3092

EU Project creates export market for mango farmers in 12 counties

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By George Munene

The Market Access Upgrade Program (MARKUP) is setting up a project for Kenya’s 12 main mango producing counties that will help them in accessing the more commercially lucrative international market for their fruit.

This will be done by supporting farmers in these counties by training them on how to produce quality, pest and disease-free mangoes that will easily find a market internationally.

The program follows the resumption of direct export of Kenyan mangoes to Europe in September this year after a seven-year ban instituted by the EU due to Kenyan mangoes having a high fruit fly load.

MARKUP, a partnership program between the European Union and East African Community also aims to help farmers find markets, especially in Europe for peas, snow peas, passion fruits, nuts, chilies, herbs and spices. Increasing the value of both extra and intra-regional agricultural exports will serve to improve farmer livelihoods and by extension the economy of member countries.

“Communities will increase revenues that the country gets when we import our products outside of the country and generally this will create jobs from the farmer group level, exporter and at the national level,” Maina Karuiru, MARKUP’s National Project Coordinator said at the project launch at Makueni.

For his part, the County’s governor Kivutha Kibwana congratulated the program as it will help farmers at the grassroots level get better returns from their mango farms.

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