- Government allocates Ksh150 million for cassava processing equipment
- Nasewa CAIP targets value addition and new jobs for farmers
- Parliamentary committee calls for faster completion of the project
The Government will invest Ksh150 million to equip the Nasewa County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP) in Busia County with cassava starch and flour processing machinery as part of efforts to promote value addition and create jobs for local farmers.
Principal Secretary for Industry Juma Mukhwana said the Government was in the process of procuring the equipment.
Speaking during a site tour by the Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives and officials from the State Department for Industry, Mukhwana said the machinery was expected to be installed and operational by December.
“We have budgeted Ksh150 million for machines for cassava starch and cassava flour. We are going to advertise next week for suppliers of the machines,” he said.
The PS said the facility would add value to cassava produced in Busia and neighbouring areas, with the starch expected to serve textile manufacturers while cassava flour would be supplied to other industries and markets.
“We want to produce starch for those exporting textiles and also cassava flour. We have enough cassava in this region and doing value addition will create more employment opportunities for our people,” Mukhwana said.
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The planned machinery will have the capacity to process 20 tonnes of cassava daily. Mukhwana urged the Busia County Government to mobilise farmers to increase production and ensure a reliable supply of raw materials to the processing plant.
He warned against a situation where the facility would have to source cassava products from neighbouring countries because of inadequate local production.
“The machine will be processing 20 tonnes of cassava per day. This calls for more farming of cassava by the people from this area,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives directed the contractor to speed up construction works at the industrial park to ensure the project begins benefiting the local community.
Committee chairperson Bernard Shinali said timely completion of the project would enable residents to take advantage of the employment and economic opportunities expected from the facility.
By Obegi Malack
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