Kisii County Government has entered into a partnership with the Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya (PPCK) in an effort to have farmers in potential areas return to pyrethrum farming.
Speaking during the Madaraka Day celebrations held at Gusii Stadium on Thursday, Kisii Governor Simba Arati said his administration is committed to reviving cash crops such as pyrethrum and coffee that had previously dominated the county.
“Our engagement with PPCK has been fruitful, and we embarked on the distribution of planting materials obtained from the seedling nurseries we established in various sites across the county,” noted Arati.
The Governor urged farmers in pyrethrum-growing areas of Kisii to take advantage of the initiative, adding that the county had engaged investors to facilitate farmers’ access to quality planting materials and extension services, among other assistive efforts.
He pointed out that the county is focused on enhancing production and value addition for food crops as well as building the local economy by encouraging investment in cash crop farming.
In addition, the county boss noted that his administration would work closely with the coffee societies through the Coffee Farmers Union to revamp the coffee market operations as part of addressing the challenges facing farmers in the coffee sector.
Arati urged the farmers to capitalize on and deliver their avocado produce at the avocado processing factory located at the Kisii Agriculture Training Centre (ATC) for better returns, even as the county plans to expand and decentralize such ventures to the sub-counties to counter transport costs.
He noted the county government is committed to operationalising the banana-processing factory at the same venue.
The governor encouraged the farmers to diversify areas of food production, including aquaculture, livestock, and poultry, in order to achieve more in the agricultural sector and boost farmers’ income and nutrition among the population.
“This will help us to avoid overstretching the traditionally held food sources like maize and bananas, which have been affected by diminishing arable land holdings and soil potential exhaustion,” added Arati.
By Mercy Osongo
