Farmers in Githunguri have been urged to do research on the crops they want to plant in order to enable them to positively identify farm machinery and market availability to avoid losses.
Speaking in her office on Wednesday, Githunguri Agricultural Officer Ms Ruth Irungu said it was very important for a farmer to do research of the area to find out whether or not the crop they want to plant has a stable and available market, in order to avoid wasting land by planting crops that would not give the farmer good returns as compared to the amount of energy and money used.
She added that once one had finished surveying the land, one needed to invest in farm machinery like water pumps, to ensure that the crops they plant grow fast before the markets become flooded with it.
She said research enabled the farmer to identify the need of a certain crop, as a farmer is able to know which crop to plant thus avoiding the risk of experiencing losses when harvesting begins.
“Farmers should make research the first thing they do before preparing their land in order to know which crop was on high demand and which crops grow in particular climatic conditions. It will also enable the farmer to know which farm machinery they would need,” said Irungu.
Githunguri Agribusiness Officer Ms Tabitha Gicheru said that when farmers engage in agribusiness, they end up making losses because they buy farm machinery which they never use because they did not take time to do research on what to plant.
“You can’t just wake up and say your planting potatoes. You have to first do research and know if it is a demand that is there to stay and which farm machinery you could use to ensure that your potatoes grow well before its demand fades off,” said Gicheru.