Installation of cold storage units in the Kandara area of Murang’a has helped scores of avocado and banana farmers cut post-harvest losses to more than 30 percent.
The farmers who market their produce through a local company dubbed Soko-Fresh are able to store their harvest for some days before their products get to designated markets.
The company, through financial support from the Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD) in May this year installed portable solar powered refrigeration units to assist farmers store their produce.
The facilities established at Muruka area have been of great relief to the local farmers as it has also helped them to shun from selling their produce to middlemen who used to buy their bananas and avocados at meager prices.
One of the farmers, Ngugi Karanja, recounted how they used to be exploited by brokers who used to buy their avocados for Sh. 3 per piece.
Some years back, farmers, especially those venturing into avocado farming, incurred huge losses due to poor handling of the fruits, especially during the harvesting period.