The Government has unveiled an ambitious economic revival strategy for the Coast region, targeting a threefold to fourfold increase in production of cashew nuts, coconut, cassava and cotton, as Tanzania pledged deeper cross-border investment in agriculture.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said at the 123rd edition of the ASK Mombasa International Show at Mkomani Showgrounds that Lamu, Tana River, Kwale, Kilifi and Taita Taveta Counties are underutilized agricultural and livestock producers.
“They have the potential to triple and even quadruple production,” CS Kagwe said.
The plan dubbed “From Farm to Port” positions Kwale, Kilifi, Taita Taveta and Tana River as primary production and value-addition zones, with Mombasa and Lamu serving as logistics hubs linking the region to regional and global markets.
“The investments are made here, jobs are created and remain here, and the wealth created lifts the lives of households here,” Kagwe said, citing cotton export targets of Sh150 billion by 2027 and coconut output already valued at over Sh10.8 billion annually.
Tanzania’s Deputy Minister for Agriculture, David Silinde, invited Kenyan investors into Tanzania’s farming sector, describing the two countries’ economic ties as a foundation for regional growth.
“There are many investment opportunities in Tanzania’s agriculture sector, and we need investors from across the East African Community to come and invest,” Silinde said, listing commercial farming, irrigation, agricultural mechanisation, seed multiplication, fertiliser production, and agro-processing as priority areas open to Kenyan capital.
“If you invest in Tanzania, it is the same as investing in Kenya,” he added, noting that Kenyan seed investors already operating in Tanzania were doing valuable work.
Silinde said agriculture remains the backbone of Tanzania’s economy, driving jobs, food security, farmer incomes and foreign exchange, and urged private-sector players on both sides of the border to engage directly rather than wait on the government alone.
“Government creates the environment, but agriculture and livestock are sectors that private investors must drive,” he said.
ASK National Chairperson John Kibira told the CS that the show’s theme, “|Promoting Climate-Smart Agriculture and Trade Initiatives for Sustainable Economic Growth,” reflected the need for stronger value chains and expanded market opportunities between the two nations.
“Our shared borders, markets and agricultural interests position our two countries to lead in regional food systems, cross-border trade and investment within the East African Community,” Kibira said.
He added that the integrated land-use master plan for Mkomani Showground was now 90 percent complete and invited public and private investors to partner with ASK in its development, alongside plans to expand exhibitions into Kericho, Nyandarua and Garissa counties.
ASK Coast Branch Chairperson Henry Nyaga said this year’s show had attracted more than 200 local and international exhibitors, with strong investor participation across livestock, crop production and value-addition exhibits.
“This platform continues to showcase new technologies, value addition for farm produce, climate-resilient agriculture, investment and business opportunities,” Nyaga said, acknowledging national and county agencies including the Kenya Ports Authority, KRA, KCB and Bamburi Cement for supporting this year’s edition.
By Ramadhan Nassib
