Kisii County Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Cooperatives Vincent Sagwe has asked residents to embrace saving culture as one way of ensuring self-reliance.
Speaking in Kisii on Tuesday, Sagwe said Saccos can help in saving and borrowing loans to help in starting up projects and therefore, urged the residents to group up and get registered so that they can be funded.
“I ask residents to make up groups and register in Saccos so that they can be given loans to start up projects. The loans will enable them be self-reliant through initiatives,” he advised.
In terms of food security, the minister said his docket is in stride, coming up with pilot depots in each sub-county that will enable residents store food and access certified inputs.
“We have identified places to erect the depots that will enable farmers store their food-cereals so as to deal with food security in our county. We will have at least one depot in each sub-county so as to satisfy the demand,” said Sagwe, adding that the depots would also help in providing certified seeds and fertilizer.
“Farmers will also get certified inputs from the depots so as to curb fraudsters who are rampart selling fake inputs to farmers,” he said.
He mentioned Masimba, Keumbu, Nyamache, Marani and Nyamarambe, among other places where the depots will be put up.
He also said they are remodeling extension services so that farmers can get information and get educated on farming techniques.
“We have had challenges as far as agricultural education is concerned, but now we are remodeling our extension services that will enable farmers get information in areas of agriculture so as to improve productivity in our county,” the minister noted.