User Rating: 0 / 5

Photo: Courtesy (Faith Matete, Star Newspaper)

Farmers from fourteen counties forming the Lake Region Economic bloc (LREB) should seize the opportunities for direct export of fresh produce from the newly expanded Kisumu International Airport.

The Airport expansion is vital in positioning Kisumu as a regional business hub. It is strategic for trade due to its proximity to the borders of other East African countries like Uganda and Tanzania.

The establishment of a cargo village at the Airport will create employment opportunities for cargo airlines, freight forwarders, farmers and fish traders.

The Airport has recently been equipped with a cargo handling and cold storage facility through a public-private partnership. This development aims to enhance the capacity of the airport which serves the whole western region to draw in direct international flights.

The new cold storage facility will help reduce downstream postharvest losses, to increase productivity and return on investment for farmers.

Among the commodities earmarked for export from the airport include avocado, fish, chili pepper and mangoes with key markets being the United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, United Arab Emirates and the United States of America.

The inaugural Kenya Airways cargo flight to Europe airlifted 1.8 tonnes of fresh green chili as the first consignment with the airline targeting 6,000 kgs of capacity for its flights scheduled for twice a week.

The Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency (KEPROBA), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Ministry of Health, Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (KEPHIS), Kisumu Lakefront Development Corporation (KLDC) and The Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya (FPEAK) will work closely together to ensure what is being exported meets the required standards.