Maize, potato and dairy farmers in Nyamira County have a reason to smile after the county government released Sh14.1 million aimed at improving production and marketing of their produce.
According to the Agricultural Sector Development Support Program (ASDSP) county coordinator Daniel Nyachio, the programme which is funded by both Kenyan and Swedish governments will provide Sh10 million while the county government will give out Sh2.13 million.
The other Sh1.96 million will come from other partners.
Speaking during a breakfast meeting on Friday morning, Nyachio said the maize sector will receive the largest share of Sh6.2 million.
Potato sector will get Sh5 million while the dairy sector will get Sh2.8 million.
“The funds will mainly be used for capacity building aimed at enhancing farmers’ ability to market their produce, especially in the potato and maize sector, while in the dairy sector it aims at enhancing the quality and quantity of dairy feeds,” he said.
He added that one of the components of the funding in the maize sector is the establishment of farmers driven Grain Business Hub Model (GBHM) which will involve the development of centers to offer various services including bulk purchase of farm inputs, extension services and storage and marketing of farm produce.