Farmers in Makueni County urged to do agribusiness

Farmers in Makueni County have been urged to practice agribusiness in order to earn an income for sustenance.
State Department of Agricultural Research Principal Secretary Prof. Hamadi Boga said this could only be achieved by farmers if they embraced new technologies and modern methods of farming that would increase their crop production.
He asked farmers to look for markets to sell the produce before planting and be aware of importance of using recommended pesticides.
He made the remarks on Friday during a Field day held at the farm of Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita in Sultan Hamud.
“Focus is shifting from subsistence agriculture to practicing agriculture as a business. Agri-business means that agriculture has the capacity to be a fulfilling full time income earner and shift an individual’s focus from depending on white collar jobs,” he said.
During the event, he appealed to the youth to involve themselves in farming as a business, saying it would empower them to become self-reliant and boost the economy of this country.
In this regard, Boga said the youth ought to engage the various government agencies in the Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation and enable them do best practices in agri-business hence help the country attain food sufficiency and enhance trade.
“The government is focused on how it can empower young people who will propel this country forward in generations to come. The youth will feed this nation in future,” said the PS.
He observed that as the government focuses on attaining food security in the country in the next five years, the focus would also be on potatoes and rice as a way of food diversification to ensure that no Kenyan goes to bed hungry.
On his part, Mr. Waita who is also the Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit, appealed to the local farmers to construct small earth pans in their farms to help them harvest rain water for irrigation.
“You can irrigate two acres of land with crops like cowpeas and green grams that are drought resistant and mature early to fight hunger and increase food production in the country,” said Waita.
On criminality, he warned the youth from getting involved in criminal activities and instead advised them to engage themselves in farming and boda boda business to earn a living.
He also appealed to the youth to enroll themselves in polytechnics to acquire skills that could help them become self-employed.
During the event organized by Kephis, farmers from all over Makueni County were taught on the best practice practices in agriculture that could boost their earnings. They were advised to only plant certified seed from licensed and registered shops.
By Patrick Nyakundi