This year’s Naivasha Horticultural Fair was held on 16th and 17th September at Naivasha Golf Club. The event which attracted more than 300 exhibitors is the largest exhibition of its kind in Africa and second largest in the world.
Exhibitors from all fronts of horticulture sector showcased their tools of trade and services to thousands of visitors who attended the two-day event.
The Fair which started in 2002 as a charitable event to benefit the communities living in the area was sponsored by the Kenya Commercial Bank Ltd for the second year running to the tune of Kshs.4 million.
All the money collected from the fair will benefittheRotarySafeHouse, Naivasha Children’s Shelter, Mary’s Hospital Elementaita and IDP camps among other noble charitable causes. This year the Fair hoped to raise over Kshs.10 million to be used in a project that will take water, education and health services closer to the people in the outskirts of Naivasha town.
The initiative dubbed, Adopt a Village, has already received support from the Rotary Club of Naivasha and Children of the Third World, a Spain based organization.
The initiative also hopes to construct a secondary school and hospital in the area at a cost of Kshs.2.5 million and Kshs.45 million respectively.
Being a horticultural hub in Kenya, hosting about 50 multinational flowers and horticultural companies, Naivasha contributes significantly to the country’s economy through foreign exchange from export of horticultural produce and providing the much needed employment especially among the youth.
During the event, KCB Group Chief Business Officer Kenya Peter Kimondo said the Bank was keen to harness into the horticultural sector due to its massive potential as a foreign exchange earner which is a great source of wealth.
The bank offers a one-stop- shop solution to the horticultural sector through the products and services that are available in the market. They offer asset-based finance solutions for purchasing storage facilities, movable equipment, machinery and greenhouse materials at very competitive interest rates.
Mr. Kimondo further noted that KCB also offers trade finance solutions through advancement of short term foreign exchange facilities against their goods as a working capital as they await payments.
Foreign-owned banks can also benefit from the Bank’s correspondent banking partnership against a foreign guarantee form from their parent companies.
KCB has always been a key player in supporting the growth of the agricultural industry and in particular the horticulture industry due to its contribution into bringing the hard earned foreign exchange.