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Kenya: a new tomato processing plant project

07/12/2023

François-Xavier Branthôme
Kenya,
Africa
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Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru recently cited a tomato processing factory in Kirinyaga as a major milestone.

While recently delivering an address at the Kirinyaga County Assembly, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru enumerated a wide range of achievements of her administration in uplifting lives of the people in a state of the county. Waiguru cited signing of a deal with an investor to establish a tomato processing factory as one of the key achievements.

She said the support that her administration has been giving to farmers through Wezesha Kirinyaga Programme has seen steady increase in production of tomatoes, rice, coffee, avocado and milk. The governor added that the upcoming processing industries at Sagana Industrial Park will provide the much-needed market and bring in better earnings for the farming community.
“Our tomato production has continued to rise steadily from an annual production of 46,000 metric tonnes in 2017 to 116,000 metric tonnes in 2022,” she added.
 
 Earlier, Waiguru led the county in signing a deal with an investor who will put up a tomato factory at the upcoming Sagana Industrial Park. The investor, who is coming under the Sustainable Urban Economic Development (SUED) programme, will commence the process of setting up the factory immediately.
Waiguru said the factory will address the issue of post-harvest loses, the biggest challenge faced by tomato farmers who have been losing up to 40 per cent of their harvest. She said since the factory will take up 100 per cent of their produce, farmers will now have better returns.

She added that construction of the county seedling propagation unit located within Kangai ward is expected to be completed by the end of this financial year.

The unit is expected to support farmers in accessing affordable and quality seedlings.

Source: the-star.co.ke, kbc.co.ke