Farmers in Kiambu County have urged the county government to establish agricultural corporations in the region to support the agricultural sector.
The farmers want the county government to establish corporations that will provide services such as, financing, storage, marketing, quality planting seeds and farm inputs and providing farmers with access to farming supplies.
Speaking during a farmers’ forum in Kiambu Town on Tuesday, John Kungu, Kiambaa Sub-County farmers representative said the agriculture sector is the backbone of the Kenyan economy.
He said the county government should prioritise boosting the sector so that farmers can produce good harvest.
Kungu said farmers want the county government to establish agricultural corporations in the county to serve as supportive bodies to farmers.
“The only way to address the problem of food shortage experienced in some part of the county like Nachu and Karai wards in Kikuyu Sub-County is to support the agricultural sector,” said Kungu.
David Karanja, Limuru Sub-County farmers’ representative called upon the county government to also establish a farmers information centre to help farmers adopt modern farming methods.
Karanja noted that farmers in the region are willing to adopt modern farming methods but lack the skills.
“Agricultural training is a key way of improving agriculture and can be availed to farmers through establishing farmers information centres,” said Karanja.
He said the centre would also provide farmers with current information on global markets of farm produce adding that this would help farmers make informed decisions on the type of farming they should venture into.