By Rosemil Oduor
President Uhuru Kenyatta is set to launch a Sh110 million banana processing and value addition plant in Taita Taveta.
The plant is to be constructed with a grant from the European Union.
Taita Taveta Banana Farmers’ Co-operative Society (TATABA) chair Constantine Malai asked farmers to embrace banana planting so as to enjoy its benefits. He also said they were experiencing the challenge of lack of markets causing most of the banana to go to waste.
Davis Mwangome, the county executive in charge of agriculture, livestock and fisheries, said the value addition plant will commence on a three acre piece of land in Taveta.
There are strategies from the department to increase acreage to 4,800 hectares and production to 246,000 from 125,000 in the next four years to sustain banana factory.
Taita Taveta University lecturer Ann Kambura said partnership between the county government and the university could capitalize on the skills at the university to produce seedlings for supply to the farmers and neighbouring counties.
