The 2015 GlobalFood report on the Transformation of Global Agri-Food Systems stated that linking small farmers to global markets through contract farming was an important policy, aiming to increase the farmers’ income and foster rural development.
In 2014, Eunice Mutua started her company, Select Fresh Produce. It dealt with the export of fresh produce like pineapples, chickpeas, groundnuts, sesame and more. She started the company, triggered by a need for a direct market, where prompt payments upon delivery of farm produce would be guaranteed. “I was tired of witnessing small-scale farmers’ constant worries about late payments caused by companies buying their fresh farm produce. There were delays of more than a month,” said Mutua.
“I persuaded my father and we started a company to capitalise on the huge and far profiting international mango markets as compared to local markets. We started exporting mangoes to Dubai and we could market over 27 tons of mangoes a month,” said Eunice.
She moved on to start Select Fresh Produce of which she is the CEO. The company is currently exporting fresh produce and cereals that they source from different parts of the country -especially Machakos- while more comes in from Uganda and Ethiopia.
This has also given her a lot more exposure. In 2016 she got a chance to be part of a Kenyan delegation which went to Ireland for a benchmarking on matters agribusiness and agriculture production in general.
Source: farmbizafrica.com
