County targets agro-processing investments in camel milk, rice and sunflower as Garissa County Aggregation Industrial Park nears completion.
ASAL POST | NEWS
GARISSA, Kenya – The Garissa County Government has called on investors to seize opportunities at the Garissa County Aggregation Industrial Park (CAIP), which is now 90 per cent complete and expected to be ready within the next three months.
The county says the facility will provide a major platform for agro-processing, value addition, job creation and improved market access for local producers once operational.
Launched in September 2023 as a joint initiative between the County and National Governments, the industrial park is designed to reduce post-harvest losses while supporting farmers and cooperatives to move from selling raw produce to processing and marketing higher-value products locally.
The facility comprises eight warehouses, including aggregation centres, cold storage facilities and value-addition units intended to support both cooperatives and private investors.
Speaking during a multi-agency inspection tour of the facility, Garissa County Chief Officer for Industrialisation and Enterprise Development Jael Ouma urged investors and local entrepreneurs to come on board and utilise the infrastructure once the park is completed.
Ouma said attracting private investment into the facility would be critical in ensuring that the government’s investment delivers tangible economic benefits to residents.
“The industrial park is very important for Garissa County and it is going to improve the economy of this county. We expect our revenue to also go up,” Ouma said.
Launched by Governor Nathif and Moses Kuria
The project was officially launched on 5 October 2023 by Garissa Governor Nathif Jama and then Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry Moses Kuria.
The facility is a joint initiative of the County and National Governments aimed at promoting agro-processing, value addition and improved market access for local producers.
The project is also expected to reduce post-harvest losses by providing infrastructure where agricultural and livestock products can be aggregated, processed and packaged locally rather than being sold in raw form.
The facility comprises eight warehouses, including aggregation centres, cold storage facilities and value-addition units designed to support cooperatives, local businesses and private investors.
Camel Milk Processing Identified as Key Investment Area
The county is particularly seeking investors in camel milk processing, including the production of camel milk powder, alongside processing of rice and sunflower.
Ouma said the county wants locally produced commodities to be processed and packaged within Garissa rather than being sold in raw form at relatively low prices.
The strategy is expected to increase incomes for farmers, create employment opportunities for young people and retain more value within the local economy.
“We are calling on the investors and our locals to come onboard and take advantage of this industrial park. The value chain that we are focusing on is mostly camel milk powder,” Ouma said.
She added that investors interested in the camel milk value chain should consider the available infrastructure as an opportunity to establish processing operations in the county.
County-National Government Partnership
Ouma commended the collaboration between the County and National Governments in developing the industrial park, describing the project as an important component of Garissa’s industrialisation and economic transformation agenda.
She said the county expects the facility to contribute to increased economic activity and revenue while improving livelihoods for farmers and other players across the agricultural value chain.
The multi-agency team inspecting the project included officials from the State Department for Industrialisation, Government Delivery Unit and the Garissa County Commissioner’s Office.
With construction now at 90 per cent, attention is increasingly shifting towards investor mobilisation, operational readiness and ensuring the facility is fully utilised once completed.
For Garissa, the success of CAIP could mark an important shift from the export of raw agricultural products towards local processing, value addition and industrial job creation.
