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Farmers in Kisii County can smile now because they have a place to sell their avocado produce. The UK Government and AvoFresh Processors Ltd have partnered to implement UK’s Sustainable Urban Economic Development Programme (SUED) by establishing an avocado factory in Kisii County.
The facility has a capacity process of up to 70 tonnes of avocados daily while the extraction yield will range between 4-10% depending on the varieties of fruits produced.
Kisii County Governor Simba Arati and British High Commissioner Jane Mariott commissioned the project that has been tipped to create 95 direct jobs and 100 induced jobs. This financial year, 1000 farmers will have the opportunity to bring their produce to the factory. However, in the coming years, according to project manager Mr. David Gitonga, they’re targeting 3000 farmers.
The UK government gave expert advice and a seed fund of Ksh 79 million. This was an addition to the Ksh 355 million that had already been invested into the extraction facility. Additional support from the British Government has helped the management of the factory build logistical framework and maximize fruit collection in Kisii. By now they’ve already purchased nine trucks that will be used to transport avocados.
Governor Simba Arati was more than elated and he registered his appreciation to the UK government for choosing Kisii County as one of the benefiting counties for this project. “We are very thankful because we are aware that this is support from citizens of the UK to our residents,” said Hon. Arati.
