Kisii avocado farmers desperate as factory shuts down

Kisii avocado farmers are now a troubled lot after a factory started by the County Government to process their product ceased operations.

The factory, which was commissioned by Governor James Ongwae, terming it as a county flagship project, has been under construction for over two years.

The initiative had raised hopes for avocado farmers in the county, with Governor Ongwae flagging off 30 metric tonnes of avocado oil for export a few months after the factory commenced business.

The county government, however, did not disclose the proceeds from the consignment nor its share.

Farmers started planting fast maturing, high oil content avocado.

With the factory not operational, farmers are counting losses from the fast perishing product, and exploitation by middlemen who buy the avocados at low prices and transport them to factories in Nairobi and Thika.

Sources reveal that the project was not actually a county initiative but a private investment project.

Another structure, which was set up by the County Government of Kisii at Kirdi also stalled two years after commencing operations.

The plant remains closed despite numerous visits by the County Assembly Committee on Agriculture led by its chair Onchong’a Maina, assuring to see that the factory resumes operations.

Kisii County Executive Committee Member (ECM) in charge of Agriculture, Vincent Sagwe, disclosed that the avocado factory was not actually a county project but a private investment.

Sagwe said the county was only facilitating the private investor through constructing a godown, which was to be leased to the investor.

“Let it be clear that the avocado factory project was purely a private project, ours as a county was only to facilitate the investor through constructing a godown, where the investor would pay the county government to use it,” said Sagwe.

The CECM said that the investor was initially running at a loss since he pitched during a low peak season, and was operating from a rented premise where he was paying rent whether there was business or not.

It was at this point that the county government decided to intervene and save the investor from closing down, because he had employed almost 50 locals, by constructing a godown, which was to be leased to the investor.

The initial cost of constructing the go down was Ksh 9 million but after variation the cost shot Ksh 12 million.

“As a county, bearing in mind the seasonality of the avocado in our county, we decided to construct a godown. After completion, we were to lease it to the investor. The arrangement was that we charge him when there are avocados but when it is an off-season, we don’t charge him,” said Sagwe.

Sagwe blames the collapse of the project on the godown contractor for abandon the project.

“The contractor has real let us down. If he was serious, he could have completed this project within six months, but we are going to recommend that the contract be canceled so that another contractor can be given the work to complete it,” Sagwe said.

Sagwe expressed confidence that the project will come to fruition, though he did not give any timelines, saying that the contractor is still willing to continue with avocado processing.