Wilson Odhiambo/IPS
NAIROBI, Apr 19 (IPS) – Kirinyaga College might have simply breathed new life into Kenya’s ailing cotton trade as varsity dons develop a conveyable cotton ginnery.
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 alter, and to a authorities pushing for job creation and self-reliance by means of manufacturing.
The mission, funded by the federal government by means of the Nationwide Analysis Fund (NRF), is a conveyable cotton ginning machine aimed toward addressing the issues confronted by farmers, by offering them with a method to course of their cotton instantly 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 recuperate for many years since its collapse within the Nineteen 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 Nineteen 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 ultimately opted for different technique of survival. At the moment, 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 came upon that the remaining cotton ginneries within the nation had been struggling to remain open as a result of excessive price of sustaining the ginneries, and those that had been in operation had been inaccessible by most cotton farmers throughout the nation,’’ mentioned Dennis Muchangi, mission group chief.
‘’The closure of ginneries pressured 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 present, they’re pressured to promote a kilo of grade 2 cotton at Ksh. 26, whereas grade 1 goes for Ksh. 52,’’ Muchangi informed IPS.
Kirinyaga College’s invention has introduced hope to cotton farmers, most of whom had ventured into different sources of revenue.
Based on the teachers, their invention will assist the federal government enhance the textile manufacturing trade whereas additionally creating blue-collar jobs reminiscent of artisans and mechanics, because the machine is simple to make with regionally out there materials and the designs for its manufacture might be made open to the general public.
‘’The moveable ginnery is kind of a easy machine with designs which can be simple to grasp for any native mechanic,’’ mentioned Muchangi. Which means they are often in-built any location.
The mini ginnery is a far cry from the big trade ginneries, as it’s made out of easy scrap steel and different supplies that may be discovered regionally and assembled in any work store.
‘’One other drawback we famous among the many out there ginneries was upkeep delays, which led to loads of stalling and shut downs. The massive ginnery machines are costly to keep up and too complicated for native mechanics, which meant having to attend for months to get professional engineers from Nairobi to return and repair them. This was dangerous for the farmers and the cotton trade,’’ Muchangi defined.
‘’With our machines, farmers will now not have to attend for consultants and so they can as a substitute name any regionally out there 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 keep up.
Grace Kiiru, a mission member, defined that the machine can be simple to make use of and, as soon as taught, may be operated by anybody, each women and men. This, she mentioned, will assist empower ladies and the youth.
‘’Whereas the bigger ginneries require consultants to function, our machine is kind of simple to be taught and use and may be operated by anybody as soon as they get the fundamental data. Which means they are often operated all through, thus boosting cotton manufacturing,’’ Kiiru informed IPS.
The ginnery has additionally been designed to have the ability to accommodate farmers who reside in areas with restricted or no entry to electrical energy.
‘’Given that almost all farmers are present in rural areas, characterised by restricted or lack of electrical energy, we’ve got made our machine in such a means that it may be operated manually or may 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 power,’’ Kiiru mentioned.
The ginnery is sufficiently small to be transported on a bike, making it accessible even in rural areas the place motorcar transport could also be an issue.
Based on Kiiru, the machine has the power to course of as much as 500 kg of cotton in a single day, which can 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 chopping 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 pressured 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 cloth excessive.
‘’Most clothes designers like myself import cloth from India as a result of excessive price and typically lack of fabric of the identical high quality regionally. We’re pressured to promote our completed garments at excessive costs, that means we’ve got to focus on sure shoppers who can afford them,’’ Mangi mentioned.
‘’It’s unhappy to see folks choose imported garments and supplies as a result of they’re extra reasonably priced in comparison with what we make regionally. That is a part of what kills our tradition as a rustic,’’ Mangi mentioned.
‘’Rivatex Textiles, Kenya’s largest textile manufacturing facility, has needed to depend on cotton imports from nations like Egypt to maintain its calls for. Our machines will give farmers within the western and Nyanza areas a cause to renew cotton farming, which implies no extra importation and therefore diminished costs on textile merchandise,’’ Muchangi concluded.
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