Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago has called on the government to abolish the tedious requirements farmers have to endure in order to sell their produce and obtain farm inputs.
Mandago made the remarks when he officially opened the Eldoret Agricultural Show on Friday.
The county boss was accompanied by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri and other government officials.
In a post on his official Facebook page, Mandago noted that it is the responsibility of leaders to solve the various challenges that farmers face in a bid to boost the agricultural sector.
“Bureaucracy has been the tallest hurdle that farmers have had to endure every year to sell produce and obtain farm inputs. It is incumbent upon us the leaders to find ways of removing the bottlenecks that have been slowing down services at this crucial sector,” read part of Mandago’s post.
The outspoken governor also reiterated the need to lock out cartels and middlemen who have been benefitting at the expense of farmers.
”It is prudent that as we remove the hurdles, we also put in barriers that will keep cartels, brokers and middlemen out of the production chain," said Mandago.
He further revealed some of the measures they have put in place to solve the problems faced by farmers in the county.
"As an intervention, we have pooled farmers together in cooperative unions to establish three milling plants, silos and drying facilities within the county, even as we diversify to other high-value crops," he added.
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