Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) has launched a campaign to recruit over 5,000 new farmers to grow sorghum for the production of Senator Keg, their value beer.
Mtama Ni Mali, KBL’s contract farming program, sources 100% of raw materials locally through East African Maltings Limited (EAML), providing a source of income to over 40,000 smallholder farmers from Kisumu, Migori, Siaya, Homa Bay, Busia, Tharaka Nithi, and Meru counties, among others.
KBL provides a guaranteed market for farm output at competitive prices and paid over Ksh1.2 billion to small holder sorghum farmers across the country in the previous fiscal year.
Farmers who use the contractual farming model have easier access to inputs such as improved seed varieties and fertilizer, as well as a ready market for their produce, allowing them to focus on increasing yields and profits.
“As part of our sustainability strategy, our goal is to ensure that the business shares economic benefits with local communities by improving livelihoods. Arid and semi-arid lands remain mostly unutilized in Kenya. However, some native crops such as sorghum, have been identified for their great survival chances even under conditions of high temperatures and low rainfall experienced in these regions. The introduction of beer made from sorghum has provided an opportunity to improve production and welfare for sorghum farmers,” said Gerald Gacheru, EAML Head of Agribusiness.
“As a company that is leading the drive for sorghum commercialization in Kenya, we are currently registering sorghum farmers who will grow and supply grain to our breweries. The local sourcing programme is a crucial business priority for us because it enables us to grow value together with the farmers in Kenya. We are also encouraging Persons with Disabilities not to shy away from joining the programme. In partnership with Sightsavers, we are currently working with over 140 farmers who are differently abled and are looking to grow this number further”, Gacheru added.
KBL will continue to train farmers on good agricultural practices, post-harvest handling, and value addition to increase uptake and maintain the highest grain quality. They will also receive high-quality seed from improved varieties.
KBL employs digital growers’ management systems to eliminate paperwork and enable tracking of sorghum growing and harvesting in order to track farming activities more efficiently. The digital platform facilitates smallholder farmers’ access to formal markets and increases the effectiveness of outgrower schemes. It has increased compliance by introducing high levels of efficiency and real-time traceability of activities in smallholder farms down to the specific farm.
