Boost value addition in farms

A very encouraging story was published in the Seeds of Gold magazine (Saturday Nation, May 11) about a stoic woman in Matsangoni village in the drier area of Kilifi South Constituency, Kilifi County, who not only grow cassava on 10 acres but also plans to add value to the produce.

Through irrigation, Elina Sultan has proved that farmers anywhere can advance from mere food production to value addition. Her cassava is used to produce flour for cooking ugali as well as baking confections and snacks such as cakes and crisps.

Kenya is renowned for its agricultural and horticultural products and also does very well in the dairy sector. It can become food-secure and have surplus for export if proper value addition is enhanced and losses and wastage avoided.

The dairy industry has, for years, suffered a glut of milk, which almost always goes to waste. But dairy cooperatives have sprung up and farmers can now enjoy their sweat. This, however, is not the case with bananas, avocados and most other horticultural produce, such as fruits, Irish potatoes and vegetables. This is an issue stakeholders should address.

The case of Ms Sultan should be a good example of what good organisational skills and determination can bring forth. The cassava processor can inspire other farmers that their perennial post-harvest losses can be a thing of the past. That, however, calls for proper guidance and technical capacity, which is abundant in the form of agricultural experts.

NGOs play a crucial role in ensuring farmers get their toil’s worth. County governments should facilitate farmers to venture into agroprocessing for longer shelf life and higher prices. Irrigation should be promoted in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), which can equally become very productive.

The days of farming and harvesting only to incur losses after storing the produce, especially during a glut, are long gone. Value addition is the in-thing.

Mr Kigo is an environmentalist. [email protected].