Portable Ginnery Could Revive Kenyas Ailing Cotton Industry — Global Issues

by Wilson Odhiambo (nairobi)Friday, April 19, 2024Inter Press Service

For an trade that has been struggling to outlive, this information got here as a reduction to cotton farmers, whose lives the invention is predicted to vary, and to a authorities pushing for job creation and self-reliance by manufacturing. 

The undertaking, funded by the federal government by the Nationwide Analysis Fund (NRF), is a conveyable cotton ginning machine geared toward addressing the issues confronted by farmers, by offering them with a way to course of their cotton straight on their farms and therefore decide their very own market costs.

The invention is the brainchild of 4 professors from Kirinyaga College: Dennis Muchangi, Grace Kiiru, David Kabata, and Agnes Mutiso.

The cotton processing trade has been struggling to get well for many years since its collapse within the Nineties, regardless of Kenya boasting of being a pioneer cotton miller and having the most important cotton gin in East Africa, Kisumu Cotton Mills (KICOMI).

The well-known KICOMI, positioned in Nyanza province, has been a centre of controversy since its sudden shutdown within the Nineties. The mill, began in 1964, offered jobs for 1000’s of individuals because it was strategically positioned within the nation’s largest cotton manufacturing area (served the western and Nyanza areas).

The results of this closure was a collapse within the nation’s largest cotton manufacturing area because the farmers finally opted for different technique of survival. Immediately, the mill stays a shell of its former glory, regardless of repeated makes an attempt by the federal government to revive it.

‘’From our analysis, we discovered that the remaining cotton ginneries within the nation had been struggling to remain open as a result of excessive value of sustaining the ginneries, and those that had been in operation had been inaccessible by most cotton farmers throughout the nation,’’ stated Dennis Muchangi, undertaking crew chief.

‘’The closure of ginneries compelled the remaining cotton farmers to depend on middlemen to discover a marketplace for their merchandise, which meant exploitation and eventual lack of morale in cotton farming for many of them. At the moment, they’re compelled to promote a kilo of grade 2 cotton at Ksh. 26, whereas grade 1 goes for Ksh. 52,’’ Muchangi instructed IPS.

Kirinyaga College’s invention has introduced hope to cotton farmers, most of whom had ventured into different sources of revenue.

In line with the lecturers, their invention will assist the federal government enhance the textile manufacturing trade whereas additionally creating blue-collar jobs resembling artisans and mechanics, because the machine is straightforward to make with regionally obtainable materials and the designs for its manufacture can be made open to the general public.

‘’The moveable ginnery is kind of a easy machine with designs which can be straightforward to know for any native mechanic,’’ stated Muchangi. Because of this they are often inbuilt any location.

The mini ginnery is a far cry from the massive trade ginneries, as it’s made out of straightforward scrap steel and different supplies that may be discovered regionally and assembled in any work store.

‘’One other downside we famous among the many obtainable ginneries was upkeep delays, which led to a variety of stalling and shut downs. The large ginnery machines are costly to take care of and too complicated for native mechanics, which meant having to attend for months to get skilled engineers from Nairobi to come back and repair them. This was unhealthy for the farmers and the cotton trade,’’ Muchangi defined.

‘’With our machines, farmers will now not have to attend for consultants they usually can as a substitute name any regionally obtainable mechanic.’’

Muchangi added that whereas the federal government is anticipating to spend billions to revamp the stalled ginneries, their miniature machine requires lower than Ksh. 100,000 (about USD 724) to construct and even much less to take care of.

Grace Kiiru, a undertaking member, defined that the machine can also be straightforward to make use of and, as soon as taught, will be operated by anybody, each women and men. This, she stated, will assist empower girls and the youth.

‘’Whereas the bigger ginneries require consultants to function, our machine is kind of straightforward to be taught and use and will be operated by anybody as soon as they get the essential information. Because of this they are often operated all through, thus boosting cotton manufacturing,’’ Kiiru instructed IPS.

The ginnery has additionally been designed to have the ability to accommodate farmers who dwell in areas with restricted or no entry to electrical energy.

‘’Given that the majority farmers are present in rural areas, characterised by restricted or lack of electrical energy, now we have made our machine in such a manner that it may be operated manually or will be fitted with a petrol-powered generator for individuals who can afford it. We’re additionally engaged on enabling it to run utilizing photo voltaic vitality,’’ Kiiru stated.

The ginnery is sufficiently small to be transported on a motorcycle, making it accessible even in rural areas the place motorcar transport could also be an issue.

In line with Kiiru, the machine has the flexibility to course of as much as 500 kg of cotton in a single day, which is able to make it fairly worthwhile to farmers who can promote their merchandise on to the textile factories.

‘’Our intention is to assist farmers decide their very own costs by slicing out the intermediary. By processing their very own cotton, farmers will have the ability to promote their product for as a lot as Ksh. 200 (USD 1.51 per kilo up from the Ksh 25 (about USD 0.19) per kilo that they’re at present being compelled to just accept,’’ she defined.

Kenya at present depends on cotton imports to complement its textile trade, a incontrovertible fact that Saada Mangi laments has made the price of some material excessive.

‘’Most clothes designers like myself import material from India as a result of excessive value and typically lack of fabric of the identical high quality regionally. We’re compelled to promote our completed garments at excessive costs, which means now we have to focus on sure purchasers who can afford them,’’ Mangi stated.

‘’It’s unhappy to see folks want imported garments and supplies as a result of they’re extra inexpensive in comparison with what we make regionally. That is a part of what kills our tradition as a rustic,’’ Mangi stated.

‘’Rivatex Textiles, Kenya’s largest textile manufacturing unit, has needed to depend on cotton imports from international locations like Egypt to maintain its calls for. Our machines will give farmers within the western and Nyanza areas a purpose to renew cotton farming, which implies no extra importation and therefore lowered costs on textile merchandise,’’ Muchangi concluded.

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