Mango farmers in the country have a fighting chance after the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport(JKIA) launched a new hot Water Treatment Plant. The plant will be used to fight the notorious fruit flies that have affected the produce from the country.

Kenya imposed a self ban on export of the produce to Europe in 2015 after an increase in the cases of Fruit flies. A self ban helps an individual country address the issues affecting their products. The self ban that Kenya imposed helped the country avoid a ban by the European union.

The European Market is a very lucrative market for the Kenyan product. Kenyan farmers have been exporting their fruit to the middle east since the self ban to export to Europe. However, the middle east doesn’t offer lucrative returns as those that are offered by the European market.

Kenya has been struggling with the Fruit Fly problem for the last two decades after the fly was first reported from Sri Lanka. Currently the country’s export has more than halved from its initial numbers experienced in 2015.

During the launch of the plant, Agriculture CS Peter Munya, indicated that the plant will go a long way in helping the farmers. The Mango farmers in the country will now have the opportunity to export more.

More Jobs

Experts say that the ripple effect from the export of the produce will be significant in the economy as it will create thousands of jobs along the value chain. The government have been urging Kenyans to offer or experts products that are value added.

MANGOES STIFF COMPETITION WITHIN THE REGION

Kenya is currently experiencing stiff competition from Egypt in its export to the middle east. This is due to the factor that Kenya export via Air while Egypt exports via Sea. A change in the Market will help Kenyan farmers earn more from their produce.