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: 22 July 2022; Hits: 1672

Italian firm sets up oilseed plant in Makueni employing 25,000 farmers

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By George Munene

Italian oil company Eni S.p.A. has completed the construction of an oilseed collection and pressing plant in Makueni, Kenya.

The company’s first agri-hub will employ 25,000 farmers using a vertical-integration model where castor, croton, and cottonseeds will be cultivated and handled by local farmers before being bought and extracted to make vegetable oil promoting their access to markets.

Construction on the first hub finished on July 18, and the plant is expected to produce 15,000 tons with 2,500 tons expected to be processed in 2022.

The facility will further produce animal feed and biobased fertilizers derived from the protein component of the seeds for the benefit of livestock and food production, contributing to food security.

The center will work as a training and technical support hub for farmers.

The agri-hub will process castor, croton, and cottonseeds to make vegetable oil. These are cover crops that will be cultivated in rotation seasonally with cereals and vegetables. They are also sustainable, agricultural feedstocks that do not compete with the food-supply chain because they come from crops that are resistant to aridity and suitable for growing on degraded soils—namely castor crops, seeds harvested from spontaneous plants (croton), and coproducts of the cotton supply chain in a circular economy perspective.

Cultivation of these crops in areas that are less suitable for food production will give farmers an additional source of revenue.

The first phase of the project in Kenya includes the construction of a second agri-hub to reach a total capacity of 30,000 tons per year of vegetable oil in 2023, as well as the development of associated agricultural supply chains.

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Saturday, 23 July 2022 Welcome in Makueni county

: 21 July 2022; Hits: 1122

EABL seeking 4,000 Homa-Bay sorghum growers with ready market

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By George Munene

East African Breweries Ltd (EABL), has embarked on an initiative seeking out more than 4,000 Homa-Bay County farmers to grow sorghum in the next planting season starting September.

EABL will provide farmers with seeds and other farm inputs at affordable prices to enable them to grow the crop. They will purchase the sorghum from them helping farmers acquire a market and improving their livelihoods.

“We want as many farmers as possible to register with us. This initiative is aimed at enabling farmers who are financially challenged to produce the crop,” said EABL’s Sustainable and Stakeholder Engagement Manager Waithera Mwai during a Wednesday training session for farmers in Homa Bay town.

The program is being run in conjunction with Sygenta Foundation East Africa, Sight Savers and the Homa Bay County government.

“The main issue affecting our people is unemployment. This project will create self-employment for our farmers and we hope more of them take it up,” said Aguko Juma, Homa-Bay County Executive Member for Agriculture.

Sight Savers representative, Roselyn Olewe, encouraged farmers with disabilities to embrace the project.

“We are training the farmers to empower them with knowledge on how to grow the crop. I want them to understand that it is a project that can eradicate poverty,” said Olewe.

Sygenta Foundation’s Lucy Kioko told farmers to embrace mechanization to enable them grow sorghum in large scale. The company, she said, would provide linkage to acquisition of mechanization services.

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Tuesday, 26 July 2022 Hi Ann, the opportunity is meant for Homa-Bay residents.

Monday, 25 July 2022 I would love to get into this. how do I get seeds to start with I try a quarter ...

: 20 July 2022; Hits: 1148

Government purchasing 26,710 cattle to freely feed 267,210 households

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By George Munene

The government-funded livestock destocking program has commenced in 13 drought-hit counties targeting the purchase and slaughter of over 26,710 cattle from herders to feed 267,210 households.

This exercise will be conducted over six weeks and hopes to reduce the effects of the ongoing drought and reduce the loss of animal life.

The current program has reached out to as many farmers within a short period of time with the aim of purchasing part of the livestock affected by drought from farmers for slaughter and distributing the meat to needy families on the ground.

According to a press release by the KRC on the program, over 4.1 million Kenyans in 23 Arid and Semi-Arid Lands are in need of food aid following a prolonged drought stretching back to October 2021.

The National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) estimates heavy livestock losses in all 23 drought-affected counties with assessments showing livestock losses of up to 70 per cent in regions such as Ileret in Marsabit County.

The program implemented by the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCs) in conjunction with the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) targets the counties of Isiolo, Marsabit, Samburu, West Pokot, Baringo, Laikipia, Makueni, Garissa, Kajiado, Turkana, Wajir and Tana River.

“We are not only providing food for the hungry, but by purchasing these weak animals, we are also providing markets for herders. This drought has pushed communities to the brink and our call remains to all our stakeholders and well-wishers to pull together and help alleviate this suffering,” said Dr. Asha Mohammed, Kenya Red Cross Secretary General on Tuesday.

For his part, KMC’s Managing Commissioner Brigadier James N Githaga reiterated that the parastatal is mandated to purchase cattle, sheep, and goats from across the country and is the buyer of last resort during drought through commercial offtake or ground slaughter livestock offtake programs.

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