Kisii Governor James Ongwae has promised to help revive the pyrethrum subsector in the county.
“My government is making deliberate efforts to revive the pyrethrum subsector. To this end, the Kisii County government has partnered with Kenya Agriculture and Agribusiness Project to support the sub-sector,” said Ongwae.
Speaking at the Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) show in Gusii Stadium on Friday, Mr Ongwae said: “Pyrethrum is another cash crop that does well in this region, but due to challenges facing the industry, production dropped substantially."
"The global demand for pyrethrin, which is extracted from pyrethrum, is enormous due to its environmental safety and also pests do not develop resistance.”
Ongwae noted that pyrethrum is a lucrative sector that can transform the county and the country at large.
“Currently, pyrethrum prices range from Sh100 to Sh370 per kilogramme delivered at Nakuru processing plant based on pyrethrin content. The Pyrethrum Board of Kenya has hastened commodity payments to farmers and is increasing supply of seedlings to regions suited for pyrethrum production,” he said.
Farmers in most parts of Kisii County and a few from Nyamira depended on the commodity which paid well before the prices of the cash crop went down.
Farmers from Ramasha in Nyaribari Masaba sub-county and other parts of Kisii County lamented that they live in abject poverty because they have never been paid their dues for pyrethrum they delivered to the Pyrethrum Board of Kenya (PBK).
“We are happy to hear that our governor has good plans for farmers. I lost hope in the crop because I have never been paid my Sh60,000 by the board. I now feel encouraged to go back to the farming of pyrethrum,” said Rose Moraa, a resident of Ramasha.