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Lewis Njoka

Local warehouse and logistics service provider plans to construct a Sh7.5 billion cold storage warehouse in the country.

Cold Solutions Kenya Limited, a subsidiary of ARCH Emerging Markets Partners Limited, said it will construct the facilities in Nairobi and Mombasa.

In a statement to the press, the company said the Nairobi warehouse will be located at Tatu City facility and will be operational the next one year.

The facility will handle a wide range of products including fresh fruit and vegetables, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, meats, poultry, and frozen foods.

Food security

Grade ‘A’ cold storage facilities are bigger than a typical warehouse with superior hook height, dock levelers and a large lay-down area around the warehouse.

“Cold Solutions’ one-stop-shops are designed to allow businesses to keep track of products in  real-time and facilitate transportation across East Africa through temperature-controlled trucks, either within the inner city or to long-haul destinations,” said Jared Irving, the managing director, ARCH Emerging Markets Partners Limited.

The facilities will be a huge boost for food security efforts in the country considering the high post-harvest losses farmers in the country incur. 

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that over 40 per cent of food in Sub-Saharan Africa perishes before it reaches the consumer.