SACCOs and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in Kwale County are set to receive Sh18 million in grants aimed at strengthening agricultural production, value addition and market access across key value chains.
The grants were issued under the National Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP), with beneficiaries drawn from community-based SACCOs and farmer organisations involved in sectors including tomatoes, cashew nuts, mangoes, apiculture and poultry.
Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani said the funding was intended to provide farmer organisations with resources to expand their operations and enable more farmers to benefit from agricultural value chains within the county.
Among the organisations identified as beneficiaries are Kinango Ward Community SACCO, Mwavumbo Ward Community SACCO, Tsimba Golini Ward Community SACCO, Pongwe-Kikoneni Ward Ukulima Community SACCO, Vanga Ward Community SACCO and GOBON CDDC SACCO.
Farmer-based organisations including Dzombo Farmers Cooperative, Kinango Poultry Cooperative and Kwale Korosho Cooperative are also among the beneficiaries.
The intervention comes at a time when farmer organisations are increasingly being used as vehicles for aggregating production, improving farmers’ access to markets and supporting collective investment in agricultural enterprises.
For SACCOs, such support can also strengthen their role in financing and supporting members engaged in agriculture, particularly where farmers require resources for production, processing, storage and marketing.
The county government said the grants were expected to contribute to improved value addition and create opportunities for farmers and other actors along the targeted value chains.
The supported commodities also reflect some of the agricultural activities with potential for wider commercial development in Kwale. Cashew nuts and mangoes, for instance, offer opportunities beyond primary production through processing and value addition, while poultry, beekeeping and horticulture can provide income-generating opportunities for smallholder farmers.
Achani called on the beneficiary organisations to use the funds responsibly and strengthen their internal structures so that the benefits could reach farmers at the grassroots.
She also acknowledged the role of NAVCDP partners, Members of Parliament, SACCO and farmer-organisation leaders and county officials in supporting the initiative.
The Sh18 million investment therefore places SACCOs and farmer organisations at the centre of an effort to move agricultural support beyond individual farmers towards stronger collective enterprises, improved market participation and greater value addition within Kwale’s agricultural economy.
