Last Sunday I took both my eyes and ears to Navakholo Constituency, Shinoyi Sub Location where I had an opportunity to interact with some good family fiends. It was one educative day that left my conscience well fed. I happened to interact with one farmer from the place who took me in every step on what he does to supplement his life apart from his teaching career. According to Mwalimu, there are so many things people havent discovered to relieve them from some constraints. The Oil Palm tree Here Im introduced to a new crop introduced in Kakamega county, the palm tree (Elaeis guineensis). This charming crop was introduced in Mumias Sugar Zone by Mumias Sugar Company as an alternative to the deviating Sugar cane crops. The companys management had a plan to introduce this crop with its originality from Malasya to boost agriculture within its zones. The The company was to built its processing plant in Shianda a few kilometres from cane milling place. The oil palm tree originates from West Africa where it grows in the wild and later was developed into an agricultural crop. It was introduced to Malaysia, then Malaya, by the British in early 1870s as an ornamental plant. Mwalimu Geoffrey found it valuable When Mwalimu he first met this crop back in 2006 through Mumias Sugar Cane scheme, he almost doubted whether the crop was viable and of use but today he has found it friendly hence reducing the cost of expenses. He says, I totally dont incur any cost when it comes to buying cooking oil, this has relieved me and I have found it cholesterol free hence Im assured of my health. How it is processed After milling, various palm oil products are made using refining processes. First is fractionation, with crystallization and separation processes to obtain solid (stearin), and liquid (olein) fractions.Then melting and degumming removes impurities. Then the oil is filtered and bleached. Physical refining[clarification needed] removes smells and coloration to produce refined, bleached and deodorized palm oil (RBDPO) and free sheer fatty acids,[clarification needed] which are used in the manufacture of soaps, washing powder and other products. RBDPO is the basic palm oil product sold on the worlds commodity markets. Many companies fractionate it further to produce palm olein for cooking oil, or process it into other products. Uses of Palm oil tree As a food ingredient Many processed foods contain palm oil as an ingredient. It can be added to vegetables during cooking and also when preparing snacks such as Chapatis and Mandazis. Production of Biodiesel Palm oil can be used to produce biodiesel, which is also known as palm oil methyl ester. Palm oil methyl ester is created through a process called transesterification. Palm oil biodiesel is often blended with other fuels to create palm oil biodiesel blends. Point pronto Mumias Sugar Company is the major source of employment in Kakamega county. The company offers both permanent and casual jobs to growing population. This has ensured job security and income to the zone dwellers. In the past few years the company started realizing negative production of sugar canes within its zones. This might have been due to exhausted farms and stiff competition from rival processing mills such as Butali Sugar Company, West Kenya among other upcoming mills. The low sugarcane production from its zones saw the company loose both income and market. Recommendation As the cane farming comes to a standstill, I personally request the management to gradually phase out the crop and introduce palm tree oils. cane farming can be practiced in areas where the soils are still fresh, by doing so, the company will maintain its shape and ability to feed the county and the country. Why we need an extra income Most youths from Mumias and its environs heavily depend on Mumias sugar Company, the company provides some job opportunities o the growing population. Weve always heard of negative vices once the company shuts its operations. Youths within these areas engage in theft and other burglary activities. Stop Mumias Sugar Company operations, give birth to thugs! - Dennis Weche
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 13:00:44 +0000
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