NAIROBI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government said Tuesday it will establish six agro-processing hubs across the country to drive value addition and boost producers' income.

Agriculture cabinet secretary Peter Munya said the government together with private sectors will finance the establishment of the agro-processing units as part of enhancing the country's agriculture competitiveness.

Current data from the Ministry of Agriculture reveals that agro-processing accounts for 3.2 percent of gross domestic product, 2.4 percent of employment and 8.5 percent of exports.

But only approximately 16 percent of Kenya's raw agricultural produce is processed leading to high import bills every year.

Kenya's agro-processing levels, however, remain lower than those of Kenya's regional and international peers, despite Kenya's broad access to raw materials.

The agro-processing units, Munya said will be developed using a one-stop-shop rapid Public-Private Partnership process for local and export markets. Enditem

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