Kenya to revive pyrethrum industry

“By working jointly with public and private sector organisations, we can exploit this opportunity sustainably to the mutual benefit of the over 500,000 small scale farmers in East Africa,” he said.

A decade ago, Kenya was a lead global producer of pyrethrum, earning about $20.8 million annually, which was about 70 percent of the trade. But over the past six years, production has declined mainly due to delayed payment to farmers. Industry experts say Kenya still has the potential to make $135 million annually if efforts are made to revive the sector.

The World Bank and PTA Bank have shown interest in partnering with Orion in developing the region’s pyrethrum industry.
The Kenya government is offering a 10-year tax free holiday for the project. The target market includes Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

Mr Maina said the aim of the project is to produce environmentally friendly products for agriculture and household use.
“Orion wants to incorporate a value chain by creating linkages with farmers, government and the market as well as create sustainable business using our Green Earth environmental care module,” he said.

Green Earth is an association that promotes better land- use management and environmental management as part of efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change.