Dola sales manager Shariff Abdalla speaks on Friday / BRIAN OTIENO
The business community in Mombasa is rooting for the empowerment of farmers, even at the Coast, to boost agricultural output.
Led by Kenya National Chambers of Commerce and Industry-Mombasa branch chairman Aboud Jamal, the business community said on Friday that farmers need proper empowerment to become more productive and help Kenya reduce reliance on imported food.
He said agribusiness is a sector that has the potential to boost the Kenyan economy tenfold if properly harnessed.
“The ASK show promotes different kinds of innovations in farming and should these be properly implemented in Kenya, together with the support of the government through empowerment of farmers, we will have no need to import any food,” Jamal said.
He said with different ideas and innovations from different countries to be showcased at the Mombasa International Show, Kenya can gain significantly by adopting some of the innovations.
Coast, he said, should be looking at sustainable ways of doing agriculture, even without adequate parcels of land.
He said many African countries are steps ahead of Kenya in terms of agricultural productivity, technology adoption and policy implementation, and these are the countries Kenya should learn from.
They include Ethiopia, Nigeria and Ghana, who have been invited to the Mombasa Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) Show.
“The government must look at different ways to empower farmers in Kenya to adopt technology. The government can also provide farm inputs and implements like fertilisers to enable farmers," Jamal said.
“I believe if we get such inputs, we will not be talking about importing food and cereals from other countries.”
He said if farmers in Rift Valley are properly empowered, Kenya will largely be food secure.
“However, there should be a delicate balance because millers know the proper mix required. So, they must be brought on board and be listened to," Jamal said.
“Are the seeds they require available locally? Can they be developed and how long will it take?”
Henry Nyaga, the Mombasa International ASK Show chairman, said this year’s show is set for September 3 to 7.
Exhibitors have officially been allowed to start preparation for the show.
More than 1,000 exhibitors, including international ones, have been invited and at least 400 are expected to show up.
Nyaga said the show is an opportunity for Mombasa residents to learn about urban agriculture, which can be done even in small spaces in residential areas.
“For instance, mushroom farming, which we are promoting here at the Mombasa International Show, can be done even in the smallest of places on the balcony or at the rooftop,” Nyaga said.
He said with the Indian Ocean in place, Mombasa residents can get innovative information that can help them harness the ocean’s potential at the show.
Dola sales manager Shariff Abdalla said this year they will be participating in the Mombasa International Show under the banner of Dola Group.
“In the past, we have been participating under Kitui Flour Mills. But we thank God the company has grown and we are now under the Dola Group, where we have many other products including Vipingo Industries Limited, which deals with cooking fat and Dola Tea Leaves,” he said.
Dola is one of the main sponsors of the Mombasa International ASK Show.
Abdalla said they will be showcasing the digital nature of the company, which has an application where the public can shop using their phones and the goods will be delivered to them.
He announced there will be a huge discount for their products for those who will attend the ASK show at Mkomani showground.
