The Parastatal chairman, Dr Thuo Mathenge Says That Once Accomplished, The Initiative Will See The Country Save Over KSh100 Billion It Uses To Import The Edible Oil Every Year
By WMW
The country is set to hit a milestone in securing edible oil if a proposal by Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) comes to fruitage.
According to the organisation chairman, Dr Thuo Mathenge, plans are underway to hire at least 200 youths from every county who will be engaged in sunflower farming across the country.
In every county, the youths will be given about 400 acres of land, which they will be funded through various government systems to carry out farming activities.
Through this initiative, Dr Mathenge says, the country will secure enough edible oil to save the country from importation costs.
The chairman made the disclosure last Friday when he graced an agricultural exhibition even at Kanyagia in Kieni constituency, Nyeri County, that his organisation had organised with other stakeholders.
He repeated the same issue when he was hosted on Friday night by Joseph Gichimu at Inooro TV for a discussion on various agricultural matters.
Dr Mathenge noted that last year, the country imported edible oil worth KSh117 billion, an amount that could have remained circulating in the country if the local farmers were involved.
At the same time, he noted that his organisation was carrying out research on among other things, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) for crops such as maize so as to ensure that farmers were supplied with seeds that will be beneficial to them through being resistant to diseases and increase in productivity.
To reduce the cost of production and make farming profitable, Dr Mathenge noted that they had proposed to the government to look at ways of reducing cost of production, by among other things, reducing costs of inputs like fertilizer, cost of seeds and electricity so that locally produced commodities can be competitive like imported ones.
He said KALRO, which is one of the biggest research organisations in Africa was carrying out various research on crops and livestock with the aim of producing the best varieties that will guarantee farmers’ best returns.
He called farmers to always seek professional opinions while carrying out farming in different subsectors instead of relying on politicians who, in most instances, usually politicise issues to suit their political alignment.
Elizabeth Angira