Kenya Breweries to contract 30,000 sorghum farmers

Kenya Breweries Ltd (KBL) will begin operations at its new Sh15 billion Kisumu plant on July 1.

The brewer said yesterday construction works were projected to end in June and they had begun recruiting farmers to supply white sorghum for production of a projected 100 million litres of keg beer annually.

Managing Director Jane Karuku said they hoped to contract up to 30,000 farmers from Kisumu, Busia, Homa Bay, Siaya, and Migori counties.

Speaking at a farmers’ workshop in Nyakach, the MD said the first batch of production would require 15,000 tonnes of sorghum.

Alternative supplies will come from Tharaka Nithi and Kitui counties.

The number of contracted farmers is expected to rise by another 15,000 over the next five years as production grows.

Insurance cover

APA Insurance has been picked to offer the farmers insurance cover for their crops.

The workshop is one of many aimed at teaching prospective farmers best farming practices to get yields of between 25 and 35 bags per acre.

Participants sought to know the requirements for joining the initiative, including the specifications in terms of quantities to be supplied and moisture content.

Ms Karuku said farmers' earnings were expected to rise from the current Sh2.2 billion per year to Sh6 billion annually in the next 10 years.

The company projects that increased capacity from the Kisumu plant will go a long way in reducing consumption of illegal killer brews.

“As a result, consumption of illicit alcohol is likely to reduce from the current 50 per cent to less than 20 per cent over the next five years,” she said.