While attending an Agricultural Expo in Siaya County that brought together various Azimio politicians as well as diverse players in the Agricultural sector from the county, Raila Odinga pointed out that Siaya has many small-scale farmers and called for sustainability in the practice of agriculture.
Odinga also urged the Siaya county government to prioritize the issue of addressing land security and how to enforce consolidation of land to get economies of scale from farm use.
“I am pleased to be in Siaya to meet various stakeholders in the agricultural space and I am happy to see different farmers like cotton and chicken farmers and many more who attended because self-sufficiency in food production is primary.
The former Prime Minister also stated that food security is important in ensuring a growing population. “We want small-scale agriculture to be sustainable and this issue requires proper planning,” he observed.
Raila lauded the steps taken by Siaya government to ensure farmers are supported, such as having tractors for hire which is hired at two thousand Kenyan shilling per acre enabling farmers to plough their farms at affordable rates and plant on time.
He also lauded measures and standards put in place by seed companies to ensure availability of high-quality seeds.
The governor of Siaya, James Orengo while speaking at the same forum, echoed Raila’s sentiments, noting that the only thing that can lift Siaya’s status economically is farming and the blue economy, adding that plans are underway to put in place a cotton milling machine in Madiany in Rarieda sub county.
Orengo also touched on the recent successes by his administration in the rice milling sector, pointing out that the major challenge previously faced by rice farmers within the county had been addressed and now, thanks to the Sh60 million rice milling plant at Siriwo, Siaya rice farmers no longer have to move out of the county to have their rice milled, saving them vital production costs.
By Rael Akinyi and Treezah Okumu
