Karel van Hattum at the IFTEX in Nairobi, Kenya.
Better quality
In order to achieve a better quality product, Jamafa designs sorting machines specifically for the grower's needs in different countries. In Kenya, for example, they designed a machine specifically for the Kenyan grower; the Jamafa sorter. "This machine sorts the flowers in height and thickness of the stem, measures the head size, can grade in 12 different qualities and has 2 reject stations. Putting on the rubber bands and putting the flower in the box is still manual labor", explains van Hattum.
And during the peak periods, when the demand is high and growers need to produce many flowers, the machine can work with two or even three shifts. "An additional advantage is that the machine also provides additional protection to the flowers as it can be equipped with UV-lamps and spray heads in order to kill all traces of botrytis and watering the buttons so that any future infection can be prevented", he adds.
The Jamafa Quality rose grading line at Ayana Farm.
Decrease labour
Next to increasing the quality significantly a sorting machine also decreases the labor costs as it saves around 30-40 people. But the labor costs per employee is not the main problem Kenyan growers have to deal with, it is the high turnover of labor. According to van Hattum, training new employees is very time-consuming and if they leave the company within a couple of months, it has all been for nothing. When using a sorting machine, less people are necessary and the people that are working in the company will often stay for a longer period. "Working with a machine gives a sort of status, even though it is quite easy to operate. And if people make a mistake, the quality of the flowers still remain high", he says.
Increasing demand
According to van Hattum, the demand for sorting machines in Africa has been increasing over the few last years. "The first processing machine was placed in Ethiopia in 2013 at Derba Flowers and in Kenya in February 2016 at Ayana, part of Fontana. "They were pleased with the performance and consistent quality of the sorting machine. So, quickly after the installation of their first machine, they decided to add three new sorting machines for their other farms Akina, Alisha and Diya", says van Hattum. And more growers in Africa are noticing the benefits of using a sorting machine. "Now, three machines are shipped to Mombasa and are ready to be installed and three machines are going to Ethiopia", he says.
For more information
Jamafa
Karel van Hattum
Email:
www.jamafa.com
