Over 500 traders at the Free-Area Fresh Food Market in Nakuru have a reason to smile after the County government contracted a contractor to build a cold storage facility to spur trading and improve incomes.
County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Trade, Tourism, and Cooperatives Mr Stephen Muiruri said post-harvest losses will be a thing of the past, thanks to the project initiated by the devolved unit and co-financed by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).
Mr Muiruri said the facility once complete will enable traders to keep their produce for long and therefore control prices.
He explained that for generations, agriculture has been a key source of income in Nakuru but decried that lack of cold storage facilities has bogged down the sector.
Speaking during handing over of the site to the contractor to the CECM indicated that Governor Susan Kihika’s administration is taking deliberate steps to make the agriculture sector lucrative and vibrant so as to serve as ‘a source of employment and improve livelihoods’.
“Most of these traders cannot dictate the right price for their produce due to their inability to keep them. They now have a place to store fresh produce at no extra cost,” added Mr Muiruri.
He noted that the cold room will be a profit booster as it will help traders keep their produce fresh for longer giving them ample time to search for markets. With the cold room, he said farmers will be able to increase the shelf life of fruits and vegetables by up to 28 days.
“Now that the issue of storage is sorted out, they will have time to concentrate on looking for new markets and negotiate for better prices,” stated the CECM.
The cold storage facility is expected to contribute to the reduction of food waste and enhance safety standards in food distribution in Nakuru and adjoining counties.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) estimates that around 37 percent of food produced in Sub-Saharan Africa is lost at various points along the value chain.
Muiruri indicated that farmers who supply produce to traders at the market will now be able to diversify to new crops that have high value now that post-harvest losses have been addressed.
He said to reduce the economic costs of unsafe food, the county government had increased expenditure on food safety by investing in infrastructure development, laboratories and cold storage facilities to boost food safety and shelf life.
The cold storage facility will have 500 storage crates, an office, a setting table, weighing scale and a washing area.
These amenities are essential for food safety, and maintenance of product quality.
In addition, GAIN handed over 5 mobile trolleys for garbage collection. This move will enhance hygiene and sanitation within the market.
Given that the traders at the market deal with highly perishable produce and the area is relatively hot, for years, they suffered heavy post-harvest losses because they lacked cold room storage facilities.
By Jane Ngugi
