Farmers in Mang’u have been asked to embrace the farming of tissue culture bananas and short seasonal crops for food security. Mang’u ward agricultural officer Jeremy Ndirangu further noted that tissue culture bananas are free of diseases, mature quickly and have better yields.
"I am a living witness that banana is a beneficial crop to rely on for a living. Its maturity duration is very short, it is immune to diseases and requires less of the farmer’s efforts while growing," said Ndirangu.
Speaking from his Mang’u office on Tuesday, Ndirangu told farmers to move away from tea farming or balance the farming with other types of farming following its uncertain future.
The governor further said that his government had purchased tractors to facilitate cultivation of farms at a subsidized fee of Kshs. 1, 500 per hectare.
He urged farmers to use modern machinery to ease their work and improve yields.
The officer encouraged farmers to purchase subsidized fertilizers as well that is provided by the county government to cut on production costs.