- A banana processing plant to be completed in two months.
- It will create 38,930 direct and indirect jobs.
More than 5,000 banana farmers in Taveta subcounty, Taita Taveta county, are undergoing training in banana production ahead of the completion of a Sh110 million processing plant.
County executive for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation Davis Mwangoma on Monday said agricultural extension officers had been deployed in the area to offer training on best agricultural practices for production of high-quality yields that will meet international standards.
The much-awaited multi-million banana processing plant is 50 per cent complete. Farmers shall reap big once it is opened, Mwangoma said.
He revealed that the plant shall be completed in two months time. Once completed, he said the plant will create 38,930 direct and indirect employment opportunities.
The executive said the government targets to increase household income through value addition, linkage of farmers to reliable markets and employment of skilled and unskilled labour.
“We are planning to distribute over 60,000 tissue culture banana plantlets which can improve their yields to up to 90kg banana, which is seven feet,” he noted.
He said the department had put in place strategies to increase acreage to 4,080 hectares and increase production from current 125,000 tons to 246,000 tons in the next four years to sustain the banana factory.
He asked farmers to embrace banana farming, noting that the plant shall be a game-changer for the sector.
“There has never been a better time to be a banana farmer in this county than now. The future is bright. The Voi-Taveta-Holili road shall also play a big part in this plant because it shall enhance accessibility,” said Jumamosi Masamo, a farmer in Taveta who has been cultivating bananas since 1978.
Masamo acknowledged that the factory shall boost farmers' income and keep off brokers who have been exploiting farmers for decades.
The industry is expected to grow the economy by Sh7 billion annually and improve the livelihoods of the citizens.
The factory targets to process at least four tonnes of bananas a day and is already sourcing for a market for the finished products.
Taveta is the core banana-growing area in the entire Coast region. The high production, which feeds the local community, can be attributed to the land being located at the volcanic foothills zone with access to underground water and springs emanating from Mt Kilimanjaro.
The banana varieties in Taveta range from tissue culture, Kinguruwe, Grand Main, Valarie, Matoke to Mshale. Others are Kisii, Mkono wa Tembo, Imange and Bokoboko commonly referred to as Mkojozi.
The factory will have a cold storage warehouse for ripening bananas. It is approximated that 55 per cent of the volume will go to the ripening chamber while 45 per cent will be processed to flour, chips and jam.
The processing and value addition plant is also geared towards improving the price of bananas, thereby increasing household incomes and boost food security. This is in line with the national government’s Big 4 Agenda and Kenya’s Vision 2030.
Edited by Henry Makori