By FATMA BARAYAN
One day in conversation with a friend of
mine, I heard a nostalgic description of her visits to Mombasa when she was
younger. She and her siblings would always compete on who would be the first to
spot a coconut tree as they travelled by road to Mombasa.
The coconut tree was the undisputed sign
that they were near their destination and the anticipated holiday. To many
visitors to the coast, the coconut tree remains a symbol of an exotic
fun-filled holiday.
Turning to the present day though, to the
100,194 coconut farmers along Kenya’s coastal counties whose livelihood depend
on this crop, the coconut tree is a grave disappointment that has continued to
sink them into poverty.
The trees are subjected to an unprofitable
market as the farmers engage in farm gate sales with minimal value addition.
They therefore are unable to participate in the production of the myriad
coconut produce items like copra, the dried flesh used for oils and cosmetics;
fibre products like baskets, brooms and mats; etc.
Kenya has an estimated 10 million coconut
trees of which only 6.5 million bear meaningful fruit. Some 2.6 million trees
are over 60 years therefore classified senile while 1.3 million are yet to
reach their prime harvest age. Kenya is ranked 30th in production of coconut at
92,313 tonnes, while neighbouring Tanzania is ranked 12th with a production of
642,000 tonnes.
What is peculiar about these statistics is that coconut farming in Kenya has only 34 per cent the productivity of that in Tanzania. Why is coconut farming lagging behind in profitability as a cash crop?
The findings of a survey undertaken three years ago centred on the
counties of Kwale and Kilifi, the main coconut-growing areas, identified three
points of concern.
The first finding was on the level of education of the coconut farmers. The study estimated that only 19 per cent of the coconut farmers had secondary and post-secondary education.
This is a big
drawback as access to information on better techniques is limited as well as
willingness to adopt technological advances.
Second, and perhaps more devastating, is
land tenure. In Kilifi, only 16.9 per cent of the farmers had titles to their
land while in Kwale only a dismal 5.3 per cent. This anomaly brings great
insecurity to the farmer as ownership can be contested by another party.
The land also loses a significant part of
its asset value as it cannot be used to secure financing nor for any
commensurate transactions. The incentive of the farmer to invest time and
effort on developing the farm is therefore much reduced.
The last aspect found was the crop itself
when segregated by age. The fact that an estimated 30 per cent of the trees are
over 50 years does not augur well for sustainable profitability of this cash
crop. This is especially as about only 13 per cent of the trees are still
maturing and shall not be able to sustain the production levels required.
These statistics, when looked at in the
context of the majority of the farmers who have between 21 to 50 trees with an
annual average of 10 coconut per tree with a farm gate price of Sh50 each,
works out to an income of Sh2,500 per month.
What then is a possible solution that would
bring profitability to coconut farming?
The Coconut Industry Development Bill, 2021
is seen as an instrument that would bring profitability to coconut farming
through establishment and operationalising of the Coconut Industry Development
Board. The functions of the board shall be regulation of coconut farming,
production, processing and marketing, much like the coffee and tea boards and
the sugar authority.
One of the fundamental advantages is that
the Coconut Industry Development Board shall have access to funds from the
Commodities Fund, the successor of both the Coffee and Sugar Development funds
and has the capacity to finance, provide training and technical support and
establish partnership, linkages and networks to support the farmer.
What is discouraging is the lack of urgency
to have the Coconut Industry Development Bill, 2021 passed, when the potential
value is estimated at Sh25 billion annually, yet the coffee, tea and sugar Acts
came into force in 1933, 1960 and 2001 respectively.
