Ongwae to break ground for Sh110m banana factory

Kisii Governor James Ongwae will today launch the construction of a banana factory at the Agricultural Training Centre.

When complete, the factory will help improve the livelihoods of farmers who will receive better prices for their bananas, Ongwae said. 

Speaking to the Star on phone, the governor said middlemen have been ripping farmers off by purchasing their produce at below-market prices.

He said that a delegation from the European Union led by the head of macro-economy and governance Vincent De Boer will be in the area for the event. 

The Sh110 million project is funded by Governor Ongwae's administration with support from the EU. 

“I am inviting residents including banana farmers to the launch of the project at ATC,” Ongwae said.

The county boss at the same time said that the long-awaited avocado factory is almost complete.

Kisii is a leading producer of the two fruits and if well processed the impact will not only be felt by the farmers but will also be an addition to the county’s economy, he said. 

Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa is expected to be among the guests alongside the EU delegation.

“We will embark a sensitisation programme for farmers so that they can plant varieties of the fruits which will earn them more,” the governor said.

The governor reiterated that the coffee sector has been doing badly saying measures will be put in place to ensure its complete revival.

He said that coffee farmers earned Sh220 million which he said will not help to settle the debt of Sh584 million they owe. He called for a waiver on the loans. 

On May 21, farmers urged the county government to expedite construction of the factory. 

The farmers said they had been selling their produce at throwaway prices to middlemen and the factory would cushion them from the losses incurred. 

Governor Ongwae had promised the construction of the factory would take 18 months but was yet to begin leaving farmers frustrated at the slow pace of the project. 

Farmers who sell their produce in Keumbu, Daraja Mbili, Keroka markets said they had been waiting for the factory for a long time.

“I have been transporting my bananas to this market for many years but I sell them cheap to middlemen who then take them to major towns and make huge profits,” Peter Otuke said.

(edited by O. Owino)