Boost palm oil making, State urged

A local manufacturer of edible oil products wants Kenya to boost cultivation of palm trees, for palm oil production, as is the case in Uganda.

Kenya, like Uganda, largely relies on imported palm from farms in Indonesia.

"We are talking of a move that could boost domestic production as well as processing of palm oil locally," Maalim Ahmed Osman, Director of Salwa Kenya Limited in Kilifi said.

Mr Osman averred that the private sector in Uganda responded to a request by the government there to support the development of local oil production to decrease the country's dependence on imported oil.

"We have a ready and vibrant market for vegetable oil products in Kenya and across the East African region. This venture would be both ideal and profitable to undertake," he said.

He added that Uganda has established a Vegetable Oil Development Fund for investment in production oil production.

"This fund supports vegetable oil production in general and has helped local institutions build up their capacity to coordinate and conduct research, promote investments and implement measures for natural resource management," Osman said.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of an event to mark the conferment of a Diamond Mark of Quality to Salwa Kenya Ltd by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) in Mombasa.

Kebs Coast Regeion Manager Cyrus Wambui said the agency had conferred the accolade to Salwa after a rigorous vetting exercise. "We are here to support you. Use this quality mark to market your goods," he said.