A farmer in Kitui is harnessing the scorching sun for value addition of his farm produce.
Simon Musyoka, 57, grows mangoes at his farm in Ithiani village of Changwithya West. He has also set up a small mango processing factory.
In 2018, Musyoka hatched an idea to utilise the Kitui sun to dry his fruits.
With a capital of Sh5.2 million he began constructing the factory which produces flakes under the name of Sun Sweet Fruit Farm Products Limited in 2019.
Musyoka, an expert in automotive colour matching, had earlier shut down both his paints shop and private school business in Nairobi in 2017.
He retreated to his rural home in Kitui to embark on mango farming, ahead of the construction of the factory.
“Kitui and Ukambani at large is known for naturally producing the sweetest mangoes the world over. Its sugar content is the best and falls between 13 to 16,” Musyoka said.
Since 2019, the farmer said he has toiled to produce unsweetened and mango flakes devoid of chemical preservatives and additives.
He also produces mango jam, premium bathing soap and lip balms with the help of his thirteen employees.
“In producing our solar dried mango flakes, we are not only taking advantage of the plentiful sunshine but leveraging on our naturally sweetened mangoes for the best quality of flakes," the farmer said.
Musyoka said that for their distinct natural sugar, the Ukambani and specifically Kitui produced mango flakes would not be rivalled by any other product from any other part of the world.
“The natural sweetness and the solar drying of mango flakes gives them an edge over others that have to be sugared before they are packaged for the international market,” he said.
In addition, he said that, although his factory is famous for mango flakes, it has since diversified to higher mango value addition and has also incorporated the making of jam from the flakes.
“As a form of maximum value addition we also produce high value premium soap and lip balms from mango kernel,” he said.
The farmer advised residents to tap into the abundant sunshine they have always taken for granted and start drying mango fruits, vegetables and cassava.
“Such valued addition to their produces would ensure farmers a steady source of income. Those who grow mangoes will on the other hand reduce wastage due to lack of immediate market,” he said.
Musyoka said God gave Kitui and Ukambani at large plenty of sunshine that can change their lives for the better if properly utilised.
He urged people of Kitui to utilise the sunshine resource not only to put money in their pockets but to also fight poverty and food insecurity.
Musyoka said that although he has faced a number of challenges to be able to break even, he was optimistic that sooner than later, he will start earning dividends from his venture as the future looked bright.
Some of the challenges included underproduction due to lack of optimum infrastructure, requisite equipment and manpower.
Also, insufficient financial resources to purchase adequate mango fruits for processing and sluggish penetration of the market.
He said he has been aggressively sourcing for fiscal support in terms of loans or grants.
“It is a fact that this factory has enable me to pay my bills and meet by personal and domestic obligations but we still have a long way to go in order to reach where I want it to be," Musyoka said.
Last November, Sun Sweet Fruit Farm Products was nominated as one of the seven micro, small and medium enterprises to benefit from grants through a collaboration of Stanbic Bank and United Stated African Development Foundation.
Newspapers reports at the time said the firm would get Sh3 million from the Sh33 million grant.
The funding in partnership with USADF under the Accelerate Programme was aimed at helping the firms recover from the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Musyoka who during the course of our interview received pupils from Ithiani Primary school who were on a study visit, said he went through a rigorous process before his SME outfit qualified for the Stanbic Bank/USADF grant.
He said he had applied for Sh5 million but it was downgraded to Sh3 million.
The entrepreneur said Covid-19 adversely affected his mango flakes international market as he had just began exporting to an outlet in the Salt Lake City of USA.
“We only managed to export the initial consignment of 250kgs of mango flakes just before the pandemic struck,” he said.
Musyoka said he was optimistic that since the severity of Covid-19 was ebbing and the associated health protocols were being relaxed, the contract with the USA collaborator would be revived.
He also said he was in the final stages of striking a mango flakes export deal with two french companies.
The farmer said he had enlisted up to 80 mango farmers from across Kitui who supply his factory with the Kent and Apple variety of mangos.
He said in the current mango harvesting season he had already paid out up to Sh700,000 to the farmers for their deliveries.
“With the Stanbic grant money, I will increase the pool of farmers who supply us with mango fruits to at least 200,” Musyoka said.
He further said that at the time his factory commenced operations, many mango famers had lost hope of getting substantial income from mangoes.
He said some had resorted to cutting down the trees to grow other crops.
“During peak season, local farmers were forced to sell their mangoes at throw away price. Worse still, due to deluge in yield, most of the mangoes went to waste after rotting in the farms,” Musyoka said.
He said although the establishment of the mango processing plant created job opportunities for youth, the ultimate beneficiaries were farmers who enjoy a ready market for their mango yields.
Musyoka is looking forward to expanding his factory to optimum operation.
He however, said that would require at least Sh15 million. He said he was using three poly-tunnel dryers that only produce 48 kg of flakes every two days.
“In order to operate optimally, we need modern equipment. We need stainless steel tables as recommended by KBS and we also need more modern dryers as well as sufficient storage space.
All this is capital intensive but I know there will be light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
The farmer said majority of Kitui people did not relish in consuming mango flakes as they regard it outlandish and costly.
Musyoka said he would set aside money from the Stanbic Bank /USADF grant towards the marketing and promotion of the Sun Sweet Farm Products Mango flakes both locally and externally.
“I know that locals enjoy eating the fresh mangoes which are relatively cheaper compared to the mango flakes. But we will educate them on the need to embrace the mango flakes which are more nutritious and have a longer shelf life feasible for keeping hunger at bay,” he said.
The entrepreneur said he did not have a conspicuous outlet in Nairobi, but has a good chunk of clients in the capital city.
He said in Kitui some county government officers visit his place to buy the mango flakes. He also makes delivers.
Musyoka however said he is displeased with what he described as the government’s tendency to pursue struggling MSME in Kenya for hefty taxes thus causing their collapse.
He said it would be imperative for the government to offer financial support to SMEs.
The entrepreneur said Malaysia has friendly government policies, outfits were small companies grow to vibrant multinationals.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
