Avocado farmers are urging the Kirinyaga County Government to deploy extension officers to their farms to offer guidance on the best crop husbandry in order to reap economic benefits.
The farmers who have formed a group at Mutithi Ward; Mwea West Sub-County expressed fears of being duped into planting poor seedlings. They also noted massive exploitation by brokers and middlemen involved in the value chain.
Speaking at Riagitugu farm in Mitithi during an induction course for newly recruited farmers, group coordinator Mary Mugo, said the avocado sector should be guided by county policies which should be formulated by all the stakeholders at the earliest opportunity.
The induction was facilitated by private nursery company, Bigfarm, which is keen in ensuring the farmers reap big from their activities.
She added that since the crop was in high demand in China and other foreign countries, it was also incumbent upon the County government to assist them with extension services as well as establishment of a nursery that can enable them to get certified and quality seedlings.
“Presently we depend on seedlings supplied by individuals whose location of their nurseries could not be established leading to poor yields from the uncertified seedlings,” Ms Mugo said.
“The county government can establish a nursery with certified avocado seedling for farmers to access,” she added.
Kiragu Njuguna, an officer from Bigfarm, shared experiences with the farmers and later carried out an intensive new seedling planting technique.
Njuguna while acknowledging the urgent need for the county to establish its nursery, said the move would save the farmers the agony of having to rely on seedlings from unknown sources.
“Giving farmers certified seeds will save them from losses. The county can establish a nursery that can supply to farmers for mutual benefit, farmers get profit as well and the county collects revenues,” Njuguna said.
The farmers acknowledged there are missing gaps in farming knowledge and require continuous field training and services to increase the yields.
Kirinyaga County government in the past two years embarked on a massive program seeking to support groups undertaking various agricultural value chains, among them avocado farming but this has not materialized.
In the blueprint, besides distributing avocado seedlings to farmers, the county spearheaded the formation of an avocado cooperative society to collectively allow farmers to negotiate for better price for their crop and seedling propagation.
By Mutai Kipngetich
