Taita Taveta farmers to benefit from commercialisation farming projects

Farmers in Taita Taveta County are set to benefit from commercial farming through value chain addition under the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP).

This follows the validation of several proposals from farmer cooperatives by the National Project Coordination Unit (NPCU).

Proposals by Tagho Dairy, Mwafugha Dairy Cooperative, Diwadane Green Gram Aggregators, and Tataba Banana Merchants were evaluated by a team led by Dr Charles Bett.

He emphasised that the evaluation process ensures that the proposals support marginalised groups while guaranteeing sustainable investments.

Farmers expressed optimism about the initiative. “The introduction of better storage facilities for bananas will be a major relief. We often lose much of our produce before it reaches the market,” said Lucy Mwasigha, a banana farmer in Taveta.

Dairy farmer John Mwakio welcomed the plans to expand milk processing operations. “With pasteurisation and packaging facilities, we will stop relying on raw milk sales, which often earn us less income,” he said.

For members of Mwafugha Dairy Cooperative, the donation of a 5,000-litre chilling tank by the National Government is a significant boost.

Similarly, Diwadane Farmers Cooperative plans to automate green gram cleaning and packaging. They believe automation will improve efficiency and help them compete with bigger suppliers.

The County Chief Officer for Agriculture, Mcharo Mwalugha, highlighted the transformative potential of these investments, underscoring the county government’s commitment to raising productivity and improving farmer livelihoods.

“With robust support from the county government and NAVCDP, these initiatives are set to boost productivity, uplift farmer incomes, and promote sustainable growth in the county. These efforts will go a long way in fulfilling the department's mandate of strengthening efforts towards food security and nutrition,” he said.

His counterpart for livestock and the Blue Economy, Paul Maneno, reiterated the county government’s commitment to empowering the dairy value chain, noting efforts to stabilise the milk market and enhance animal health services.

These initiatives are expected to boost productivity, uplift farmer incomes, and promote sustainable growth in Taita Taveta County.

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