Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (DEG) is providing a loan from the AfricaConnect programme funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to finance the production of organic macadamia nuts from German-Kenyan company, Limbua.
Limbua is located in the fertile soil region of Embu on the slopes of Mount Kenya, northeast of Nairobi and it produces organic macadamia nuts of the highest quality sourced from 3,000 smallholders.
Around 2,000 additional farmers, whom the company has already helped to convert to organic farming practices, are to begin supplying nuts in the next two years. They will be paid directly for their harvests, allowing them to earn a secure income with long-term planning.
Agricultural engineers from Limbua provide the smallholders with ongoing, in-depth training and all-year assistance on various topics ranging from organic cultivation and composting to more detailed yield recording.
New jobs will also be created at the decentralised production facilities near Mount Kenya. Another advantage for the region is that, as processing takes place locally, the smallholders are greatly involved in the value-adding process and generate an additional local income. Most people working in the production facilities come from farming families in the surrounding region, who process their own raw materials in this way.
Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (DEG) is a Development Finance Institution (DFI) and a subsidiary of KfW Group.It was founded in Cologne in September 1962 as a federally owned company by the former Federal President Walter Scheel. Since its foundation, DEG has been headquartered in Cologne. In 2008, DEG moved into a modern, energy efficient office building in the city centre.
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