By Francis Ndungu
Savannah Honey last week opened two venom and honey collection centres in Eldoret and Kakamega paying top-end prices to up to 7,000 contract farmers that it is recruiting in a nationwide beekeeping campaign.
The centres, which are part of the company’s new national collection and training network, will collect bee venom, propolis, royal jelly, pollen, and honey.
For honey, the company will be paying Sh500 per kilogram, compared with typical farmgate prices of Sh350 to Sh350, and with some farmers reporting earning as little as Sh300 when selling directly to brokers.
Once farmers have delivered products to the collection centres, they will be paid within 24 hours by cash, mpesa, or bank transfer.
“This is about giving farmers a stable, reliable market with fair prices and no delays,” said Savannah Honey CEO Kyalo Mutua. “We’re paying promptly and offering prices that meet or beat what many farmers currently receive, without the burden of processing, packaging, or finding a market.”
For bee venom, a high-value but difficult-to-market product. Savannah will be paying Sh4,000 per kg to contracted farmers and Sh1,500 per kg to non-contracted suppliers, which is the normal trade price. It is buying royal jelly for Sh38,000 per kg, bee pollen at Sh6,800 per kg, and propolis for Sh1.900 per kg.
For farmers producing over 150 kg of any product, Savannah will cover their transport costs.
The collection centres will also provide free monthly training for contractors in apiary management, bee handling, harvesting and product preservation after harvesting, helping farmers improve yields and meet the company’s quality standards. In addition, they are offering a range of beekeeping equipment at a 10% discount to contracted farmers.
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“Our farmers are under no obligation to buy equipment from us, or to buy equipment at all, but we wanted to ensure all these supplies were available at the most favourable prices to our own producers,” said Mutua.
“Our commitment is to ensure they have access to all the beekeeping equipment they need, along with comprehensive training, installation services, technical support and a reliable market for their bee products,” he said.
The Eldoret centre is located near Rupa Mall on the Eldoret–Nairobi Highway, while the Kakamega centre is situated in Amaremba Building along the Kakamega–Kisumu Highway. Both centres will open from 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Saturday.
For more information or to join the programme, farmers can contact CEO Kyalo Mutua directly at 0721 965 337.