The European Union is implementing a project in line with the Taita Taveta government's County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP), which involves a Sh100 million grant to set up a banana processing plant. According to officials, the facility will improve agricultural production in the county and surrounding regions, creating wealth and employment opportunities.
The county officer in charge of agriculture, Evans Mbinga, said the factory is expected to lead to a turnover of Sh1 billion in business annually at full operation. He said the project will be implemented in Taveta, where there is huge potential for banana production, adding that the sub-county can set aside more than 1,000 hectares for the crop.
“The banana processing plant will add value to the local community as there will be a ready market for banana products, such as biscuits, crisps, cake and wine, which will be processed locally.” The region transports approximately 55 tonnes of bananas daily to Mombasa for export, but has the capacity to produce a lot more for international markets.
Stephen Melanyi, a banana farmer in the area, said the going rate is Sh700 for a bunch of large fruit, and between Sh400 and Sh250 for smaller sizes. The farmer is optimistic the proposed banana plant will lead to an improvement in these prices.
(1 Kenyan Shilling= 0.0098 USD)
Source: standardmedia.co.ke
