Mango Processing Company plant has been Makueni County flagship project in 2013/2014 with the main objective of reducing post–harvest losses and stabilizing the market prices thus improving househould incomes among mango farmers in Makueni County.
Mango farming is practiced by nearly all rural households in the county and the larger Ukambani zone having the mango varieties Tommy, Apple, “Ngowe”, Atkins and Kent.
This plant at Kalamba in Kilili/Nzaui/Kalamba Ward Assembly Makueni Constituency at Makueni County was started by Governor Kivutha Kibwana and His Deputy Adelina Mwau.
Mango farmers in Makueni County are milking cash from their mangoes after the opening of the Processing Company. This has resulted to the farmers forming a common interest group and a mango cooperative society to market their produce.
Through the group, farmers in the region have benefited from series of trainings on disease and pest control, orchard management and post-harvest management.
Up to 4000 farmers in the County earned Sh. 120million from the sale of mangoes to the fruit juice processors.
They have also benefited from training on proper mango trees husbandry and given mango fly traps to curb pests’ infestation which helps improve quality produce.
The Makueni County produce is readily available in shops in the markets and in major cities in the county and country as large.
Mango juice is widely accepted for its benefits which covers the entire gamut of essential nutrients, including minerals, vitamins, pre-biotic dietary fiber and various antioxidant compounds.