market

: 23 March 2021; Hits: 13202

Kenyan traders now opt for UG/TZ cheaper, available animal feeds

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By George Munene

Availability and cost: these are the main drivers that have seen Kenyan animal feed traders opt to source the concentrates needed by farmers to increase output in animal production from neighboring Uganda and Tanzania.

“I can get 50 kilograms of maize bran from Uganda at a wholesale price of Sh900 which I’ll then sell for Sh1000 to farmers. Buying the bag from Kenyan millers costs Sh1100 which will mean having to sell it for Sh1200 to make a profit. A Sh100 price difference is a lot for a small-scale farmer looking to cut down on their production costs, naturally most opt for the cheaper alternative,” explains Wellingtone Serem a feed wholesaler at Eldoret.

Similarly, he points out wheat bran bought from a local milling company sets him back Sh842 and is sold to farmers for Sh950, while a similar 50-kilogram bag costs Sh760 imported from Uganda, this he can sell for a slightly cheaper Sh850.

The unavailability of local raw material has also driven Kenyan traders to source from her two neighbors. “If I relied solely on Kenyan milling factories to stock my shelves with animal feeds I would have already shut down my shop. Wheat bran is almost never available from wheat milling factories in the country, with the little that is offered coming nowhere near to satisfy existing demand,” Serem says.

The case is similar for cotton seed cake with only one company based in Kitui producing the by-product of ginned cotton. This constitutes no more than a drop in the ocean of what the market needs. The same applies to sunflower seedcake which he gets from suppliers in Tanzania and Uganda where its supply is plentiful.

These feed constituents can be fed to cows singularly but are often assembled by farmers to make a dairy meal facsimile. With the ever-rising price of dairy meal in the country, farmers are now opting against buying from manufacturers, choosing instead to make their own which reduces their cost of production.

However with a tonne of these raw materials costing over Sh800,000 to bring across the country’s borders, very few farmers are able to source for feeds individually. Wellingtone also notes that it takes time to establish trustworthy sources; “I have been to homes of the people I work with in both Uganda and Tanzania, this is vital as the whole business works off trust: I might send one million shillings and be put on a queue and have to wait for when the feeds become available. Once available I have a broker who sources trailers looking for return goods and loads them before they get back into the country.” he explains.

Quality checks are conducted by Kephis at the country’s border to ensure any feeds entering the country meet the set efficacy standards.

Wellingtone Serem: 0723092409

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: 15 March 2021; Hits: 17016

Kenyan mango farmers resume exports to lucrative European market

Mango farm

By George Munene

According to Kenya’s Horticultural Crops Directorate measures taken to reduce fruit flies in the country’s mangoes could finally yield a dividend with the resumption of direct mango exports to Europe in September this year after seven years.

Exported mangoes fetch farmers up to six times more, Sh30, to Sh 5 for mangoes sold or processed locally. The country’s mango exports have been restricted to the Middle East, greatly diminishing the earning potential of Kenya’s mango farmers.

Kenya imposed a self-ban barring the export of mangoes to European Union nations in 2014 due to a high fruit fly load. This was done with the long-term interests of mango farmers in mind, meant to avoid the country being sanctioned by the EU.

Measured put in place to combat fruit flies include the creation of pest-free zones in mango growing areas. Farmers hoping to be part of the export chain will also have their fields assessed to determine their produce is suitably free of pests.

Mangoes that are meant for the export market also need to be harvested before they are fully ripe so that they can be shipped and arrive to oversee markets perfect for consumption.

Despite the ban, the illegal exportation of some of Kenya’s mangoes has gone on through third-party countries in the Middle-East used as a conduit to getting the country’s mangoes into Europe. The resumption of direct exports will serve to slow this down, maintaining the originality of the country’s produce, which Wilfred Yako--the assistant director of regulation and compliance at Directorate of Horticulture--says sits up there with the best in the world and serves to credit the exporting nations undeservedly.

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: 11 March 2021; Hits: 6329

Marketer creates online platform helping farmers find ready goat market

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By George Munene

A marketer by profession, Brian Masila, Mbuzi Yangu’s founder has created a fast-moving goat market that leverages online platforms to help farmers find a ready market for their animals as well as delivering quality stock and information to farmers looking to get into the business of goat rearing.

Mbuzi Yangu deals in Galla, Boars and their crosses as well as Dorper sheep, these are the breeds Masilla has found to be most in demand. For farmers to be on-boarded and able to sell through Mbuzi Yangu, they need to meet the platform's quality standards. These include properly kept records and their animals have to be pure breeds, vaccinated and well managed. There are no limits to the number of goats a farmer must have with some delivering as much as 600 heads while others who are just starting out as little as 10 goats.

By meshing his experiential marketing background and having kept goats for home consumption since 2009 at Makindu along Mombasa road, Mbuzi Yangu came into being in July 2020: “The Covid-19 restrictions had made it difficult for myself and other farmers to dispose of agri-products through traditional channels such as markets which had been forcibly closed. I posted some pictures of our herd online and had overwhelming inquiries from guys looking to buy them. For what had been a side-hustle, this very much opened my eyes to the exceptional demand that exists for Galla goats, Masilla says.

Goats multiply exponentially with little input, the only major hindrance to keeping them being land availability. This is especially the case with Gallas which are known for being prolific double kindlers (birthing twins); from a stead of about 30, his herd now numbers close to 400 goats.

For a good month, Mbuzi Yangu sells 400-600 goats and sheep. A holding area at Athi River helps to collect them from farmers across the country, cash on delivery. From here they are dispatched to various buyers across the country as orders come in. For Gallas, young does that are about to be served sell for Sh6,000 and bucks Sh8000. Boer bucks fetch Sh60,000 to 40,000 depending on size while Galla, Boer buck crosses are sold for Sh 18,000.

Mbuzi Yangu

Mbuzi Yangu: 0705700506

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Wednesday, 17 March 2021 Good job Mr. Masila, I am one very much satisfied client both on delivery and qu...