Del Monte fruit processing company has launched a new fertilizer facility that will transform surplus pineapple materials into environmentally friendly biofertilizers.
Biofertilizers are natural fertilizers that utilize microbes to enhance plant growth by boosting essential nutrient availability, improving soil quality and plant yield and offering an eco-friendlier alternative to conventional fertilizers.
In a statement, Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. revealed that it had partnered with Vellsam Materias Bioactivas, a leading biotechnological solutions firm in a bid to explore ways to optimize the use of Fresh Del Monte’s pineapple residues through the development of biofertilizers. The partnership, known as De l’Ora Bio, has established a biofertilizer plant in Kenya as the first phase of their joint venture into biofertilizer production.
Located near Fresh Del Monte’s subsidiary Del Monte Kenya Ltd, the newly established biofertilizer plant will utilize leftover residues from the pineapple cannery to produce various types of biofertilizers that will not only cater to the needs of the company but also be available for sale to other farmers in Kenya and the neighbouring East African countries.
“We at Fresh Del Monte are dedicated to building a circular economy and implementing strategies to repurpose and reuse our residues.
Our partnership with De l’Ora represents a significant milestone in our efforts to transform the way the agricultural industry operates. It embodies our values of innovation, environmental responsibility and pushing the limits of what is achievable in agriculture,” stated Mohammad Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman and CEO of Fresh Del Monte.The new plant is undergoing testing and is expected to be fully operational by June. Projections from Precedence Research indicate that the global biofertilizers market is set to reach approximately USD 9.14 billion by 2032.
This growth is attributed to a growing emphasis on sustainable agricultural methods, a higher demand for organic food products, and government programs that support the use of biofertilizers.
“We are proud to be the leading exporter of Kenyan products and are committed to promoting sustainable practices, such as our bio-fertilizer plant initiative,” said Wayne Cook, acting deputy managing director of Del Monte Kenya.
Researchers suggest that biofertilizers could offer a cost-effective alternative to expensive chemical fertilizers for smallholder farmers in Kenya.
The government has further implemented a subsidy on fertilizer prices for farmers, an initiative that allows registered farmers to purchase a 50 Kilogramme bag of fertilizer for Sh2, 500, significantly reducing the cost from the market price of Sh6, 500.
The input of technology has become crucial for increasing food production as soil quality continues to decline in many key agricultural areas. Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) shows that maize, the primary crop in Kenya, accounts for 45% of fertilizer purchases in the country.
Additionally, tea cultivation, being Kenya’s primary revenue-generating crop, utilizes 16 percent of the land, followed by sugarcane at 30 percent, beans at seven percent, wheat at five percent and flowers at three percent.
By Hellen Lunalo
