Kericho bets on pineapple factory for higher profits Kericho will complete a Sh100 million pineapple factory in Bureti within six months. Initiated by former MP for Bureti Franklin Bett under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), and estimated to cost Sh80 million, the plant’s construction will resume after the county injected Sh18 million. Kericho agriculture executive committee member Charles Birech said the reopening of the plan was a subject of talks that involved stakeholders, who included MP Leonard Sang, community representatives and the contractor. “We agreed that the county should take charge and complete the construction of the factory,” said Mr Birech. He said that most of the structures were already in place but the processing machinery had not been bought. The project is now at the tendering stage, the official said. “We have bought compressors, boilers and other machinery to be used. We will begin with the juice processing ones before we get the canning machine,” he said. Mr Birech said that the industry is important to farmers in Bureti and Belgut whose pineapples are sold to middlemen, fetching up to Sh200 million every year. “This yearly earnings should go up three times once the factory starts, creating a bigger market and offering better prices. “The hawkers at Ngoina Road normally sell a pineapple at a throw away price of about Sh20. However, we are yet to agree so that the factory can pay them between Sh60-Sh70 per a piece,” he said. Pineapple farmers, he added, have been “great contributors” to the region’s economy despite the low prices. He expressed confidence the county’s economy was breaking new ground with the installation of the plant. “The livelihoods of the people will greatly improve as the pineapple firm will boost the economy to between Sh800 million to Sh1 billion annually.” Over 1,860 hectares of land in the region is under pineapple cultivation. It currently produces 93,000 metric tonnes of the fruit every year but according to officials, it has the potential of producing more than 500,000 metric tonnes. Mr Birech said that extension services in the farms have been improved to ensure improved yields. Production has not been a major issue now that there is a market for the produce. But we also must ensure that the correct standards of quality, weight and variety are maintained.” The project is getting a new lease of life days after farmers petitioned Governor Paul Chepkwony to address the issue of relying on middlemen who were exploiting them. An official of Mananas Ngoina Road Women Group, Rebecca Rono, said that farmers who harvested an average of 2,500 fruit during the peak season were sometimes forced to sell each pineapple for as low as Sh5. “But we are now happy. I pray that the prices will get to Sh60 and above so that we can have enough to plough back to the farm and also to send our children to school. We usually don’t have enough to school them,” said Ms Rono. #Business daily
Posted on: Fri, 06 Jun 2014 18:07:41 +0000
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