Farmers in Nakuru County have been urged to grow the lucrative Canola crop that could fetch them good returns.
Charles Owino an agricultural officer in the county said the neglected rapeseed oil plant though readily available, has not yet caught farmers’ attention even with its raising global demand.
He said the crop produces highly nutritional oil due to the significant amount of omega - 3 fatty acids it contains.
Speaking from his office on Tuesday, Owino added that that the few farmers who have grown the crop and extracted oil are reaping big from it.
Joseph Njuguna, a farmer in Rongai Sub County said he learnt to domesticate the plant he traditionally loathed. He like other farmers in Rongai hated the rapeseed plant, also known as canola, which he would constantly weed to allow his maize to grow.
It was not until he visited a settler’s farm in the area which was growing the plant for export that it dawned on him how much he had lost by discarding the crop.
Njuguna says this plant also enriches the soil and he recommends it to farmers growing cereals like wheat for crop rotation
“I want to advise my fellow farmers that canola can be a good plant to rotate with other cereals like wheat and maize," he said.
“The canola plant requires little tending and allows for intercropping. The plant maturity period is only is only three months,” he added.