Pyrethrum growing counties have been asked to support farmers in order to boost production.
High Chem Agriculture managing director Dr Wachira Maina said although some county governments have distributed seedlings to farmers, more needs to be done in order to regain the crop's lost glory as the ‘white gold’.
Speaking during an inspection tour of Highchem’s pyrethrum plantation in Tetu, Subukia on Monday, Wachira said the pyrethrum sub-sector has been faced with various challenges including heavy taxation through cess, marketing and access to international market due to registration.
He said upon liberalisation of the sub-sector, it was expected that many farmers would embrace pyrethrum farming but that has not been the case.
He said as a result of non-payment by the defunct Pyrethrum Board of Kenya now the Pyrethrum Processing Company, most farmers still shy away from venturing into growing the crop.
He said since they started buying pyrethrum flowers, so far, a total of 152 tonnes of flowers have been purchased from more than 6,000 farmers.
Pyrethrum is grown in not less than 19 counties in Kenya.