Over 500 small-scale farmers in Tharaka Nithi, Meru and Embu counties have found ready market for their horticultural produce,
thanks to
an ultra-modern automated air drier machine that helps dry their fruits.
This will shield them from market glut and reduce post-harvest losses that accounts to nearly 40 per cent.
Mercy Mwende, the founder of Sweet ‘N Dried Enterprises, said the venture has created over 50 jobs in addition to increasing income.
The machine, funded by the USAID through Kenya Value Chains Enterprises project, has a capacity of drying 300 kgs of fresh produce daily, and complements the company’s solar driers that cumulatively handle 1,200 kgs.
Speaking during its commissioning, Mwende said the processing facility will diversify markets and increase earnings of farmers.
“We have been on a seven-year journey marked by numerous trials and errors. Markets have warmed up to our dried mangoes, bananas and vegetables. We have witnessed a boost in production as we can now source 100,000 kgs of fresh produce from farmers, up from 40,000 kgs last year. This means more market opportunities for our farmers, majority who have traditionally been forced to throw their produce due to post-harvest losses or sell them cheaply as they battle market glut,”Mwende said.
She said mango varieties such as Kent, Tommy and Apple have a good market in Thailand, Dubai, China and Germany. As the demand for dried mangoes rises, she seeks to upscale production in farms, storage and processing for continuous shipping of the processed products.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, the export markets are increasingly preferring dried mangoes due to their extended shelf life and low cost.
Dr Steve New from KAVES, said it is necessary to streamline the value chain to ensure smallholders reap maximum benefits from their venture from production to markets.
“The global market for tropical fruits especially mango, passion and pineapple has been ballooning over the years. But there is a growing trend where these markets prefer dried produce due to logistical factors. At Kaves, we believe investing in
this project will open up new and profitable frontiers for millions of farmers, thus growing their income,” he said.