| dc.description.abstract | Value chain describes the activities which are required to bring a product or service from
conception, through the different phases of production, delivery to final consumers, and
final disposal after use. It is thus a conceptual tool that enhances an understanding of the
factors that impact on the long term profitability of a business. Value chain analyses are
conducted through a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods and have
become important in the recent times due to increased competition and need for
efficiency in production and marketing. This study focuses on the mango enterprise in
Embu. Eastern province is the leading producer with Embu being among the highest
mango producers in the province. This study aims at evaluating the expected incomes,
equity and welfare at the small scale producer's level. The objective of this study was to
evaluate the margins and added value of mango by producers, traders and farmer groups
doing processing and then examine institutional factors that affect mango fruit value
chain in Embu district.
Qualitative and quantitative analysis was undertaken in this study to generate insights
into the limitations and opportunities of the mango value chain which can be used to
establish the critical control points. Data was collected through personal interviews and
focused group discussions using pre-tested interview guides and group discussion guides.
FAO, VCA software was used to compute the benefits and added value by the different
agents in Embu. Descriptive analysis was used to determine factors that influence
participation in the value chain.
The study findings show that farmers gain less and have the lowest figure for added value
as compared to traders and the processors. The results indicate that traders were the main beneficiaries as they deal with high fruit volumes and enjoy the high profits and add
more value as compared to the farmers. Farmer groups' undertaking processing lack
economies of scale though their performance is better than that of farmers in terms of
value added and benefits. Their value added is the highest among all the agents. The
study found that the performance of mangoes as an enterprise in Embu district was
profitable as demonstrated by the high number of mango farmers and traders in the region
during the peak mango season. The findings suggest that group processing should be
enhanced in order to increase farmers' processing capacity at the local level.
Suggested policy interventions include, strengthening of extension services support to the
farmer and creating demand driven extension services. The government in partnership
and collaboration with relevant development partners should set up systems of
information acquisition and flow to ensure transparency in the chain. There is need for
provision of credit facilities to all the agents. The certification system should be
simplified to enable the primary processor to access markets easily. The Councils should
improve on the market infrastructure especially during the rainy season to reduce on
quality deterioration of the mango fruit. | en |
