Mr. Thomson Lendoro is a farmer and a wholesale buyer who was introduced to Kongowea market and KAVES farmers in Taveta Sub County by Farm Concern International. Before the intervention by Farm Concern International, Mr. Lendoro struggled to source bananas since most of his suppliers were widely spread across Taveta Sub County and majority had low quality produce. As a result of USAID Kenya Agricultural Value Chain Enterprises training on Good Agricultural Practices, commercialization, market specifications and value addition, farmers now produce healthy bananas which fetch good prices. The linkage to KAVES farmers significantly reduced the time and cost of sourcing bananas.

Mr. Lendoro supplies an estimated 200 bunches of bananas at an average price of Ksh. 300 per bunch and 120 crates at an average price of Ksh1000 per crate to Kongowea market monthly. This is a tremendous growth from the initial volume of 70 bunches that he used to supply to Taveta market before FCI intervention. Mr. Lendoro has benefited immensely from the intervention because he is now able to make sales worth Ksh. 180,000 per month compared to the Ksh. 21,000 he used to make before the intervention.

The increase in sales has bore tangible fruits to the family of Mr. Lendoro because he is comfortably able to pay school fees for his secondary school children amounting to Ksh 80,000 per term, remunerate his casual workers to a tune of Ksh 15,000 per month and has been able to construct a permanent house at a cost of Ksh600, 000.

Mr. Lendoro has become a darling of many KAVES farmers in Taveta since he buys their produce at better prices compared to other buyers and also a challenge to other buyers on the need to buy produce from organized farmer groups.