More than 1,000 people will be employed at an avocado farm in Ndabibi area of Naivasha owned by Israeli firm Granot International.
The multimillion-dollar project covering 400 acres is the largest in Nakuru county with projections that the number of workers will hit 4,000 in a couple of years.
The Israeli government promised to partner with the country in increasing acreage under the produce by offering the latest farming technology.
This emerged on Wednesday during the official opening of the farm under the Evergreen Avocado project.
According to the farm CEO Giyora Merom, they will bring their 70 years of experience in avocado growing in the region.
Giyora termed the cost of production for the produce in the country as favourable compared to their competitors in Peru, Chile and Spain.
He admitted that cost of production was a universal issue which had been caused by climate change and the soaring fuel prices.
“We have invested millions of dollars in this project which we expect to offer employment opportunities and a new market for the produce,” he said.
He said the farm has over 300,000 seedlings to help farmers with technology which would help increase yield as the product is in high demand globally.
“The main challenge we are experiencing is the poor road network which makes it hard to access the farm,” he said.
Israeli ambassador to Kenya Michael Lotem said the farm as one of the many agricultural projects supported by his government.
He said that Israel in partnership with the government of Kenya and other stakeholders will be opening more farms in the country with a view to imparting knowledge to farmers.
Lotem lauded the opening of the Naivasha farm noting that it would employ over 1,000 workers with the number expected to hit 4,000 in the coming years.
“We have worked with many farmers in the country by introducing them to the latest agricultural technologies as part of increasing production,” he said.
Nakuru CEC for Agriculture Leonard Bor said the county was keen to increase acreage under avocado as this was their flagship produce.
While thanking Israel for the continued support, Bor said that they would continue supporting farmers through certified seedlings and favourable working conditions.
“The land in Nakuru is arable and conducive for avocado growing and we shall continue encouraging more investors so that we can increase production and offer more job opportunities,” he said.
