At least 6,000 farmers have been registered to plant sunflowers in Makueni County, Department of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries Executive Committee Member (ECM) Joyce Mutua has said.
While saying Makueni has been identified as one of the counties to plant the crop, Mutua disclosed that the National Government, through the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), has donated 14 metric tonnes of sunflower seed to be distributed to farmers in the area.
She noted that the crop will be distributed to farmers in Kilome, Makueni, and Kibwezi Subcounties to plant, while adding that the National Government is ready to bring more seed if need arises.
“We have already procured 14 metric tonnes of seed from the Agricultural and Food Authority (AFA) to distribute to farmers in Kilome, Makueni, and Kibwezi Sub-Counties,” said Mutua while speaking to the media at the Agricultural Training Centre (ATC) Kwa Kathoka on Tuesday.
During the media briefing, the CECM explained that the government uses a lot of money in buying cooking oil from other countries, hence the need to grow the crop in an effort to produce cooking oil locally.
She disclosed that they will also receive a machine that will crush the sunflower seed to produce cooking oil, while adding that farmers will bring their sunflowers to the plant and go home with cooking oil.
By Patrick Nyakundi
