The United States has announced a partnership with Kenyan coconut-processor Kentaste that will create economic opportunities for more than 4,500 Kenyan farmers.
Ambassador Meg Whitman joined leaders from Kentaste on Monday, August 28, 2023 for the announcement of the project funded by a combined investment between USAID and Kentaste of more than $1.6 million (Ksh.232,400,000.00), which will support efforts to expand Kentaste’s exports to the United States.
U.S. support for the project comes from the United States Agency for International Development with funding from Feed the Future and Prosper Africa.
The partnership is expected to increase Kentaste’s processing capacity by 67 pc to 50,000 coconuts per day, generate 90 full-time jobs, and enroll 1,500 new farmers as suppliers. More than 30 pc of newly enrolled farmers will be women.
The project will also eliminate 32,500 liters of food loss and waste over the next two years by increasing processing efficiency.
“Through partnerships like this, we are enhancing trade, transforming lives, and combating food waste and its impacts on climate change,” said Ambassador Whitman. “Sustainable growth and international collaboration are key to the prosperity of both our countries.”
The collaboration between the USAID and Kentaste also secures ties with two major U.S. retailers who will carry Kentaste’s coconut water products.
These connections expand access to the U.S. market for Kenyan coconut products and provide employment for Kenyan producers.
“With Kentaste, I now have consistent earnings and better farming techniques,” said local farmer Abdalla Juma Mwaramunda. “This partnership is transforming our community.”