Farmers in Kiambu County have been called upon to take advantage of the professional services provided by the government in order to enhance their farms productivity.
Speaking in her office on Tuesday, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer (MEO) in the Ministry of Agriculture, Jane Muigai, said it was unfortunate that the government had made available useful services yet most farmers do not utilise them.
Muigai said expert officers have been trained to give civic education in relation to agricultural matters but very few people show up for such fora.
“I strongly urge farmers not to ignore barazas organised by the ministry as they are tailor-made to make them knowledgeable in their venture and are geared to ensure they add value to their businesses,” said Muigai.
She added that these forums were important as the farmers get to interact personally with agricultural officers who give an opportunity for personal questions to be asked and clarifications to be made on any matter.
Muigai said the ministry also had machinery that was hired to farmers on request, adding that one may not need to buy a tractor and could instead hire one from the government.
She said these equipments and machineries saved the trouble of human labour which was at times unreliable and inefficient.
She pointed out that especially during ground-breaking, they come in handy as the task lasts for only a few days.
The officer said they were ready to link farmers to genuine stakeholders during marketing of their products or when in need of necessary partnerships.
She explained that the ministry had changed their approach from supply-driven to demand-driven which is more effective as every farmer is attended to according to their specific need.
Muigai asked the farmers to disregard the notion that these services were of poor quality just because some were free and others very affordable as the officers were committed to excellence.