• Production of cashew nuts dwindled in the country, especially after the closure of the state-owned Kenya Cashewnut Limited in 1990.
• The potential for the coconut industry in Kenya is said to be about Sh25 billion annually but only 53 per cent has been achieved.
Image: FILE
The national government has announced plans to revive collapsed industries targeting cashew nuts and coconut in the Coast region.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said on Thursday that the region has traditionally thrived as the leading producer of cashew nuts and coconut cash crops.
He was speaking in Mombasa after officially opening the 119th edition of the Mombasa ASK international Show at Mkomani grounds.
The DP said the government has prioritised agriculture as one of the five pillars of the country’s economic recovery plan.
The government has also prioritised micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), housing and settlement, healthcare and the digital superhighway and creative economy, he said.
“We will continue to implement targeted interventions to revitalise value-addition to these two cash crops which have performed dismally in recent years,” Gachagua said.
Production of cashew nuts dwindled in the country, especially after the closure of the state-owned Kenya Cashewnut Limited in 1990.
A 2021 report by the Nuts and Oil Crops Directorate that was released in April this year indicates that 23,158 hectares (approximately 57,224 acres) in the counties of Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Tana River and Taita Taveta are under cashew nuts.
This indicates a slight increase from 22,690 hectares (56,068 acres) recorded in 2020.
The report further stated that 9,121 tonnes of cashew nuts valued at Sh457.32 million were produced in 2021 compared to 12,668 tonnes valued at Sh587.25 million produced in 2020 from the coastal counties.
The report also showed that less than 20 per cent of the produce was exported, while the rest was consumed locally.
“I also challenge you to take the logistical advantage of the port city of Mombasa and the free trade zone at Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone to gain more from export,” Gachagua said.
It is also estimated that the total area under coconut farming in Kenya is 200,000 acres, with over 10 million trees.
The potential for the coconut industry in Kenya is also said to be about Sh25 billion annually but only 53 per cent has been achieved.
In 2019, coconut production in the country stood at 300 million nuts compared to 260 million nuts produced in 2013. The production recorded in 2007 was 170 million.
Efforts have been made to revamp the industry through the introduction of the Coconut Industry Development Bill 2021 brought to the Senate. The bill aims to create the Coconut Industry Development Board.
The DP said Kenya’s economic growth has been heavily reliant on the agriculture sector.
On average, the sector has contributed 25 per cent directly to the country’s GDP and 27 per cent indirectly over the last two years.
“The sector remains central to our rural economy, which is dominated by smallholder farmers who contribute about 80 per cent of agricultural production while employing more than 40 per cent of the total population and more than 70 per cent of Kenya's rural people,” he said.
He however raised concern that despite promising innovations, there is low youth participation in agriculture, inadequate integration of ICT and low mechanisation in production.
“That is why we are spearheading sustained agricultural reforms to accelerate integration of smart farming as conceived under the Kenya Kwanza plan. We do not want to produce for consumption only, but income too. We count on the youth, we will continue providing an enabling environment for the youth to take our agriculture to the next level, where it also becomes a tool for fighting climate change,” he said.
He added that the blue economy is an emerging sector with enormous potential.
Mombasa county, he said, and the coastal region contribute significantly to this subsector.
The DP said aquaculture alone has the potential area of 1.4 million hectares suitable for fish farming and is capable of producing more than 750,000 metric tonnes valued at Sh250 billion.
“Despite this enormous potential, only 2,105.1 hectares (5,201 acres) under aquaculture. That is why we have established the State Department for the Blue Economy and Fisheries to drive the development of this critical sector which is supporting more than two million people directly and indirectly,” the DP said.