By Christine Ngitori
The government has stepped up efforts to revive cotton, sunflower and cashew nut farming in Tharaka Nithi in a move aimed at promoting equity in agriculture, improving food security and increasing farmers’ incomes.
Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) Board Director Peterson Muthathai said the government was targeting drought-prone areas with alternative agricultural ventures to ensure farmers benefit from crops suited to their local conditions.
Speaking during a farmers’ sensitisation forum at the Tharaka Nithi County headquarters in Kathwana, Muthathai said the initiative was part of the government’s commitment to ensuring equitable distribution of agricultural opportunities and putting more money in farmers’ pockets.
He said President William Ruto had directed relevant government agencies to ensure farmers across the country benefited from agriculture, irrespective of the climatic challenges facing their regions.
During the forum, farmers received 1,600 kilogrammes of cotton seed, 3,000 kilogrammes of sunflower seed and 3,000 cashew nut seedlings to support crop diversification.
Those from neighbouring Meru County who attended the event also received 2,800 kilogrammes of cotton seed.
Muthathai said the government was keen on reviving the cotton sector, noting that the shortage of planting seeds, which had previously affected production, had been addressed.
He said the focus was now on increasing production to meet market demand, adding that buyers were available but farmers needed to produce sufficient quantities to attract them.
He encouraged farmers to organise themselves into co-operatives to enable them to pool their produce, increase volumes and strengthen their bargaining power when engaging buyers.
He observed that collective marketing would make it easier for farmers to access markets rather than selling their produce individually at the farm.
He further said the government was promoting sunflower farming and working towards providing processing equipment to enable farmers extract oil locally and benefit from value addition.
Sunflower farmers had raised concerns over the high cost of production and inadequate access to processing equipment, challenges they said limited their ability to maximise returns from the crop.
On the establishment of nurseries, Muthathai said farmers would be encouraged to organise themselves into co-operatives, through which the government would support them with seedlings and facilitate the establishment of nurseries for all the crops being promoted, including cotton, sunflower and cashew nuts.
He said the initiative would improve farmers’ access to planting materials, expand production and strengthen the crops’ value chains while creating opportunities for processing and improving farmers’ livelihoods.
Acting Director of the Nuts and Oil Crops Directorate John Adhola said the national government was partnering with the county government to strengthen agricultural production and support farmers with appropriate technologies.
Adhola said plans were underway to provide sunflower processing equipment, which would enable farmers to extract oil and retain more value from their produce.
He noted that agriculture was a devolved function, making collaboration between the two levels of government essential in addressing farmers’ needs and improving productivity.
The forum also provided farmers with an opportunity to highlight challenges affecting their agricultural activities, including difficulties in accessing markets, distribution of farm inputs and the high cost of livestock feed.
Elena Kathure welcomed the planned provision of a sunflower processing machine, saying it would encourage more farmers to venture into the crop and earn better returns through value addition.
She thanked the government for supporting farmers through the distribution of farm inputs and plans to provide processing equipment, saying the interventions would help improve agricultural production and farmers’ livelihoods.
She also urged colleague farmers to increase sunflower production, noting that processing the crop into oil would create additional income opportunities.
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