Premier Food Industries Limited

Premier Food Industries Ltd is a leading food processing company in Kenya, manufacturing over 50 different products including sauces, squashes, juices and jams for the local and regional markets.

The project

AgriFI will allow PFIL to source produce directly from 1300 farmers in five Counties; Tana River, Kwale, Lamu, Machakos and Makueni Counties. The project will support PFIL to secure a reliable supply of high quality mangoes at a time of rising demand yet gradual decline in supply of the fruit. They will help secure and sustain the company’s raw material supply, encourage new plantings of mango trees, and will promote climate smart practices.

To reduce post-harvest losses and both farm and factory levels, PFIL will acquire an automated ripening chamber to facilitate uniform ripening of mature fruit in a controlled environment.

This will significantly reduce spoilage and waste at the factory, and also allow farmers to harvest and supply both their mature and unripened fruit, reducing spoilage during post-harvest handling and storage. Additionally, crates will be used for storing produce at the collection centres and for transportation, which reduce post-harvest loss. PFIL will establish 10 additional collection centres over the life of the project.

During the project period, PFIL will distribute over 30,000 high-quality grafted mango seedlings to 3000 farmers rejuvenating local orchards and sustainably growing trees. This will help to minimise soil disturbance, provide permanent soil cover and multi-strata crop association. Reforestation using mango trees also creates a forest cover that sequestrates carbon.