Taita taveta county farmers set to benefit commercialization through value chain addition

oxfarmorganic@gmail.com Farming News January 22, 2025

Taita Taveta farmers are set to benefit from commercialization farming through value chain addition courtesy of National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP), as several proposals by different farmer cooperatives get validated by the National Project Coordination Unit (NPCU).

The proposals by Tagho Dairy, Mwafugha Dairy Cooperative, Diwadane Green gram Aggregators and Tataba Banana Merchants were evaluated by the team led by Dr. Charles Bett.

Dr. Bett emphasized that the rigorous evaluation process ensures proposals support marginalized groups while guaranteeing sustainable investments.

Tagho Dairy plans to expand its milk processing operations by investing in pasteurization, packaging, and cold storage facilities. This shift from selling raw milk to processed products could double their output and profits. Similarly, Mwafugha Dairy Cooperative aims to triple its daily milk collection with a new 5,000-litre chilling tank to be donated by the National Government while Tagho will benefit with an additional 2500 ltr capacity holding chiller.

Diwadane Farmers Cooperative plans to automate green gram cleaning and packaging, and Taita Taveta Bananas Cooperative’s are putting efforts to reduce post-harvest losses through improved logistics.

Mcharo Mwalugha, the County Chief Officer for Agriculture, highlighted the transformative potential of these investments, underscoring the county government’s commitment to raising productivity and improving farmer livelihoods in line with Governor Andrew Mwadime’s transformative agenda on commercialization of agriculture.

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With robust support from the county government and NAVCDP, these initiatives are set to boost productivity, uplift farmer incomes, and promote sustainable growth in the county. These efforts will go a long way in fulfilling the department’s mandate of strengthening efforts towards food security and nutrition.

Mcharo’s counterpart for Livestock and Blue Economy, Paul Maneno reiterated the county government’s commitment to empowering the Dairy value chain where he highlighted efforts to stabilize the milk market and enhance animal health services through better veterinary care