Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi has told a national parliamentary committee that the county will soon launch a cashew processing factory to shield farmers from losses after the collapse of Kenya Cashew nut factory. 

The Governor spoke when he attended a consultative meeting between Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Kilifi County cashew farmers in Kilifi town. 

“The Cashew nut sector in Kilifi County has the capacity to improve our socio-economic potential and we are currently in the final stages of setting up a major Cashew processing plant which will not only offer a ready market for cashew farmers' produce, but also eradicate middlemen known to exploit our farmers,” he said. 

Currently the county government has been distributing free cashew nut seedlings countywide and engaging farmers in training and other extension services in the last two years, to provide adequate raw materials which will ensure the processing plant works seamlessly. 

The Governor said the story of Kenya Cashewnut factory is a sad reminder to the locals and urged the MPs to make sure that the reports done on the same are implemented. 

“There are so many reports about this factory. There are reports in court, in Parliament and in various government investigating agencies pertaining this factory. Kindly go and look at those report and act because livelihoods were lost when everything about the crop turned upside down,” the Governor said.  

Kilifi North MP Owen Baya said the collapse of the Kilifi Cashewnuts factory brought a lot of pains to the locals and especially farmers who depended on the crop for survival.