Italian agro equipment manufacturers to visit Kenya

Italian manufacturers of agricultural machinery have landed in Kenya to pitch their equipment to local buyers.

This comes even as the government eyes mass purchase of tractors for its Sh33 billion farm mechanisation programme. 

The visit is part of the Italian Agri-Machinery Mission that will take place between Wednesday and Friday.

It has been planned to coincide with the 9th Agritec Africa International Exhibition and Conference on Agriculture Technology in Nairobi this week. 

The delegation is set for a tour of the Marula Farm in Naivasha with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (Kalro) as part of their visit. 

agricultural value chain

The Italian delegation under FederUnacoma (the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation) include ADR S.p.A, Alpego, BCS Group, Contro Fratelli, Irriland, Mascar, Mecmar, Muratori, Nardi-Harvesting, Ocmis Irrigazione, Sfoggia and Silesfor DP. 

The companies manufacture machinery across the agricultural value chain, from land preparation, planting, irrigation, harvesting and post-harvest produce management. 

These equipment include tractors, combine harvesters, tillers, combined seed drills, cultivators, mulchers, sub-soilers, feeders, heaters, cages and generators. 

Others include automatic hose reel irrigators, motorpumps, round ballers, wrappers, mechanic planters, mobile grain driers, soybean toasters and mowers. 

The visit is aimed at marketing Italian agricultural equipment as the best in a market where cutting-edge agricultural equipment made in well-known manufacturing hubs such as the US, China and Japan dominate. 

Farm machinery

It also comes at a time Kenya is seeking to buy tractors and other farm machinery worth billions of shillings as part of mechanization efforts to support commercialising thousands of acres of idle State-owned land. 

In October last year, the Ministry of Agriculture announced that it was seeking to purchase agricultural equipment and machinery through the Sh33 billion National Mechanization programme financed through concessionary bilateral loans. 

Through the project, farmers and importers have a chance to purchase farm machinery equipment and related implements as well as repair, maintenance and construction of new grain handling facilities and infrastructure. 

The Ministry said the programme was informed by the fact that most government agencies have large tracts of idle land that they were not utilizing due to lack of farm machinery. 

“A lot of fertile land remains unutilized in various government institutions and the government intends to open it up for food production through this programme,” it said. 

Penetrate Kenyan market

The programme will be implemented by the State-owned Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC), the agency set up post-independence to disburse low-cost loans to farmers to enhance food production. 

The other agencies that are targeted to provide land for the project are the Agricultural Technology Development Centers (ATDCs), National Youth Service (NYS), Kenya Prisons Service, Kalro and the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC).

“The above mentioned government agencies own large tracts of underutilised lands/assets which will benefit from the machinery to enhance agricultural production,” said the Ministry. 

Italy has been trying to penetrate the Kenyan market through the Italian Trade Agency in Nairobi. 

The latest is the upcoming food and wine event, dumbed Italy Meets Kenya: Food, wine and more; where 24 Italian food and wine giant firms are set to meet Kenyan Importers for business to business engagements. 

[email protected]