The completion of a Sh116 million banana value addition and processing plant in Taveta, Kenya, remains in limbo after construction stalled.
The European Union-funded project was set to create a ready market for hundreds of banana farmers in the region but has not been completed, five years later. The construction of collection centres in the area has also stalled. The plant was set for completion by September 2020 according to www.the-star.co.ke
Inflation and under-budgeting have been attributed to the stalled project that now requires an additional Sh126 million to start operations.
Stalling of the factory now leaves the more than 6,000 banana farmers in the region who had increased banana production ahead of the construction with no ready market.
If completed, the industry will process eight tonnes of bananas in a day and it is expected to grow the economy by Sh7 billion. It was further supposed to create more than 38,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities.