July 2022

By George Munene Global nonprofit Heifer International has partnered with Hello Tractor to introduce a Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) rent-to-own tractor financing program. Dubbed Tractors 4 Africa (T4A), it will enable Kenyan and Nigerian agri-entrepreneurs to become tractor owners at a reduced cost and without requiring any security given they have a farmer network. The financing model will […]

By George Munene Italian oil company Eni S.p.A. has completed the construction of an oilseed collection and pressing plant in Makueni, Kenya.  The company’s first agri-hub will employ 25,000 farmers using a vertical-integration model where castor, croton, and cottonseeds will be cultivated and handled by local farmers before being bought and extracted to make vegetable

By George Munene East African Breweries Ltd (EABL), has embarked on an initiative seeking out more than 4,000 Homa-Bay County farmers to grow sorghum in the next planting season starting September. EABL will provide farmers with seeds and other farm inputs at affordable prices to enable them to grow the crop. They will purchase the

By George Munene The government-funded livestock destocking program has commenced in 13 drought-hit counties targeting the purchase and slaughter of over 26,710 cattle from herders to feed 267,210 households. This exercise will be conducted over six weeks and hopes to reduce the effects of the ongoing drought and reduce the loss of animal life. The

By George Munene A joint project by the Growth Gateway and Trade Connect programmes commissioned by the British government has identified three high-potential horticulture products that could increase Kenya’s exports to the UK. These were mixed vegetables, fresh fruit, and value-added products such as nut mixes, dried fruits, and avocado oil.   Mixed vegetables (cut

By George Munene As Kenya seeks to increase maize, sugar, and wheat imports to reduce rising costs and tackle food insecurity, rising permit costs and transportation, a dollar shortage, and delayed clearance at border points are reducing the ease of doing business for traders. Tanzania has increased the cost of export permits by 93 per

By George Munene The African Development Bank Group has approved a Sh7.5 billion loan to Kenya to enable the government to provide affordable fertilizer and seeds to farmers ahead of the October-December 2022 short rains and into the 2022/2023 long rains crop production season. This will boost cereals and oil seeds production by over 1.5

By George Munene According to data from the USDA Foreign Agriculture Office, soybeans, soybean meal, and corn imports have seen a 72 percent increase from 2012 to 2021. This has been driven by the rise in the cost of livestock feed production. In 2021, Kenya imported $21.0 million of soybean meal– a 97 per cent