The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) has granted Taifa Gas the licence to set up a cooking gas plant and storage facilities at the Mombasa port, avoiding a potential trade spat between the two East African countries. The company, owned by Tanzanian business magnate Rostam Aziz, is expected to bring healthy competition to the gas industry in Kenya, given its lower prices. “Yes, we have already issued them with the licence to build the plant,” Epra Director-General Daniel Kiptoo told the Business Daily on Wednesday. The entry of Taifa Gas into Kenya is part of a trade deal agreed upon…
Author: Leah Wakarima
During the period between June and December last year, tea farmers associated with the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) experienced a 35% increase in borrowing, with the amount borrowed rising from Sh5.1bn to Sh6.8bn. This growth in borrowing occurred against the backdrop of tea reforms. The increase in borrowing was mainly due to loans from Greenland Fedha, a subsidiary of KTDA. The growth is attributed to recent reforms that reduced the interest rate on loans from 21 per cent to 8 per cent in a bid to provide small-scale tea farmers and others who join the microfinance institution with access…
The government is set to start importing fertiliser from Tanzania in July in a bid to enhance agricultural output and decrease the cost of food production, according to Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi. During a visit to Itracom, the manufacturer of Fomi fertiliser in Tanzania, the CS noted that by importing fertiliser from Tanzania, Kenya will cut its dependence on European countries and Morocco. Mr Linturi also assured farmers that the government would keep subsidizing manure and maintain its current price of KES 3,500 until a permanent solution is established. “The government will import fertiliser from Tanzania starting…
Kenya is set to launch value-added tea exports to Australia in a bid to protect its unique identity and improve farmers’ income. A dispatch from State House after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday said it was promoting agro-processing through the value addition of exported agricultural produce, and Australia has emerged as one of the destinations that the country is targeting with ready tea. “The cabinet noted that as part of Kenya’s export promotion strategy, the Ministry of Agriculture will in the coming week flag off the first-ever full shipload of value-added tea destined for Australia,” said the Cabinet in a…
Extreme weather patterns as a result of global climate change may drastically affect coffee production in the country this year. According to experts, the patterns, ranging from Inadequate rainfall to prolonged extreme cold season, shall inhibit maximum trees flowering and lower berry quality as well. This shall effectively lead to lower and poor yields, thus reducing the chances of farmers receiving a premium overall pay at the end of this season. Extremely cold weather was experienced in most of the crop-growing zones in the months of June, July, August, and September this year. Govt Looks to Coffee Grafting to Achieve…
The government has subsidised the price of maize flour by Sh100 for a two-kilogramme packet in a deal with millers aimed at cushioning Kenyans against the high cost of living, Effective Wednesday, the Head of State said a 2-kilogram packet of Unga will retail at Sh100, down from an average of Sh205, following talks with millers at State House, Nairobi. Flour prices hit Sh210 for a two-kilo packet, up from Sh120 at the start of the year following crop failure due to poor weather and a shift in the movement of Uganda maize to South Sudan. Uhuru appealed to the…
The price of maize flour has breached the Sh200 mark for a two-kilogramme packet, the highest to ever been witnessed in Kenya’s history with the situation expected to worsen in the coming days. The increase in maize flour prices is set to put upward pressure on inflation as Kenyans are grappling with a rise in the cost of other basic goods. A two-kilo packet of Jogoo brand is selling at Sh204, Pembe at Sh208 and Ajab is going for Sh206 from Sh150 last week while premium brands like Amaize and Hostess are now retailing at Sh204 and Sh220 respectively from…
Cooking oil prices could rise further in the coming days amidst the biting dollar shortage which coupled with limited exports of palm oil from Indonesia, the world’s biggest producer, is likely to worsen the situation There has been a 28.6 per cent increase in cooking oil prices since February, with a litre now retailing at Sh445. While some manufacturers have scaled-down production, no edible oil imports are expected in Kenya between now and June 20. Cooking oil production companies say the dollar crisis, the war in Ukraine and the ban on exports by Indonesia have hampered the importation of raw…