Download title

Business Profile
Business Profile: Beatrice Obara
Dedeby Green Ventures Capital Ltd
Mrs. Beatrice A. Obara
(MBA) is a Transaction
Security Service (TSS)
franchise holder for
TruTrade. Beatrice has
been a director of
Dedeby Green Ventures
Capital Ltd (DGV) since
2009. The company, based in Kenya, provides
value chain financing and market linkages in
the agricultural sector, specialising in cotton.
Beatrice has over 27 years experience in group
management, cooperatives and micro-finance,
banking, capacity building and training.
Dedeby Green Ventures Capital
DGV has experience in development and
support of the Medium and Small Enterprise
(MSE) sector in Kenya. Capacity is built along
selected value chains through working with
agricultural entrepreneurs to improve
management, access to financial services,
product development and packaging and
market linkages. DGV helps farmers realize
the benefits of being part of a value chain and
to get better prices for their produce.
The Cotton Value Chain and Partnerships
DGV is currently concentrating on the cotton
value chain and is committed to revitalise this
sector in Western Kenya. Since 2009 Makueni
Ginneries has provided the main market for
the sale of raw cotton. KCB, K-REP and
Metropolitan Sacco, have been financial
partners. The Cotton Development Authority
(CODA), now AFFA and county governments
regulate the prices at which raw seed cotton is
bought and provides cotton seeds which DGV
distributes to farmers each season for
planting. DGV also works with the Better
Cotton Initiative to promote measurable
improvements for the environment, farming
communities and the economies of cottonproducing areas.
Cotton Farmer Groups
Our farmer groups in Western Kenya cover
seven counties. Six of them are active in
cotton production: Homa Bay; Migori; Kisumu;
Siaya; Busia and Bungoma. We have
demonstration cotton plots in the counties of
Siaya, Kisumu, Bungoma and Homa Bay. We
work with five Co-operative Unions and 56
Self Help Groups together making a total of
3,180 farmers. The areas under cultivation for
cotton have dropped over the past decade
due to uncertain markets. We are focused on
increasing this; the 2015-16 has however been
a challenge with the delayed rains and El Nino
resulting in only 4500 acres. The same land is
used for food crops on a rotational basis.
Managing the Value Chain
DGV has 21 sourcing agents with 7 main
collections points and 28 sub-stores. Here the
agents check the quality, weigh and tag the
bags. The cotton is transported from the fields
to the collection centres by donkey, on
bicycles, motorcycles or pick-ups and from
there is transported by lorry to the ginneries
in Meru and Makueni.
Recent Trade Records for DGV
The estimated trading figures for raw seed
cotton in 2014 were 243,000 kgs @ 42/ per kg
(approx. US$100,000). In 2015 the total seed
cotton sourced was 146,000 kgs @42 - 43/ per
kg (approx. US$60,000). In addition to this
income, in 2015 the government gave DGV an
order to deliver cotton seed for planting to
farmers in seven counties, which brought DGV
a gross revenue for of approximately
US$54,000.
Contact: Beatrice Obara
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +254 733759955
January 2016