Farmers in Kiambu County have been called upon to take advantage of the professional services provided by the government in order to enhance their farm productivity.
Speaking today from her office, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, Jane Muigai, said it is unfortunate that the government has made available useful services yet most farmers do not utilise them.
Muigai said expert officers have been trained to give civic education in relation to agricultural matters but very few people show up for such forums.
She has strongly urged farmers not to ignore forums organised by the ministry as they are tailor-made to make them knowledgeable in their venture.
She added that these forums are important as the farmers get to interact personally with agricultural officers who give an opportunity for personal questions to be asked and clarifications on any matter.
Muigai said the ministry also has machinery that is hired to farmers on request. She said that one may not need to buy a tractor if they use it occasionally and could instead hire from the government.
She said these machineries save farmers the trouble of human labour which is at times unreliable and inefficient.
She pointed out that especially during ground-breaking, they come in handy as the task lasts for only a few days.
The officer said that they are ready to link farmers to genuine stakeholders during marketing of their products or when in need of necessary partnerships.
She explained that the ministry has changed their approach from supply-driven to demand-driven which is more effective as every farmer is attended to according to their specific need.
She has asked the farmers to disregard the notion that these services are of poor quality just because some are free and others very affordable as their officers are committed to excellence.