As part of the efforts to enhance value addition capacity in the country, Kenya Association of Manufacturers, in conjunction with the Confederation of Danish Industries (DI) undertook a field engagement to find out some of the challenges facing tomato value chain addition. The team visited Njoro Canning Ltd and Egerton University.
The Njoro Canning Ltd. noted that they are compelled to import tomatoes owing to inadequate local supply. Other challenges faced by the manufacturer include proliferation of low quality products, poor quality seeds and poor infrastructure.
On the other hand, the visit to Egerton University aimed at providing insights on the role of education system in enhancing tomato value chain addition.
Egerton University’s Head of the Faculty of Agriculture, Dr. Samuel Nyalala, noted that the existing challenges are mainly due to lack of proper distribution mechanisms, lack of investment in extension services and high cost of farming inputs.
KAM intends to utilise the information to lobby the relevant Government agencies/departments to ensure proper intervention measures are taken, as a key boost the local manufacturing sector.