With the insatiable market for Bidco’s edible oils, Bidco has sought to increase its production by contracting local farmers to provide more raw products for the process. According to Bidco’s head of agri-business, John Kariuki, the country is falling short of sunflowers and soybeans, essential raw materials for the manufacturing process, forcing them to import from Tanzania and Uganda.
High mportation cost and the untapped production capacity in the country, has made Bidco decide to contract, local farmers, to cut down on the expenditure. The consumer goods company is looking to work with local farmers will grow the two crops used to manufacture edible oils. Bidco is targeting 25,000 small-scale farmers to push up the production of soybeans and sunflower, with plans underway to increase their number to 50,000 by next year.
Kariuki mentioned that the company required more than 10,000 metric tonnes of sunflower and soya annually but farmers were only supplying an estimated 5,000 metric tonnes. He added that sunflower and soybeans as drought-resistant crops that could grow in any part of the country and that the country has the capacity to produce the deficit.
“Sunflower, unlike maize, does not require heavy rain. It is planted for two seasons and its proceeds are way higher. Many farmers have been growing maize but it is time they changed to sunflower whose returns are higher than what is realised from other crops. Bidco will contract the farmers and offer them technical support and logistics, and an uptake market once the product is ready for harvesting,” he said.
The decision to rope more small scale farmers follows the success of a pilot project where the crop had been grown on eight acres and it had performed beyond their expectations. Gilgil was identified as a conducive environment for growing the crops because it was rarely attacked by pests, livestock or wildlife.