Briefs on agricultural news from around the country

Farmers prepare land for planting. Agriculture CS, Mwangi Kiunjuri has asked all farmers to register themselves to facilitate their access to subsidised planting input and selling their produce. FILE PHOTO | NMG

What you need to know:

  • Ministry of Agriculture has started the process of registering all farmers digitally.
  • Kiunjuri said the registration will take two months before they start another exercise of registering farmers who grow other crops.
  • Experts have called for the acceleration of agricultural investment to boost production.

Ministry starts registering farmers

The Ministry of Agriculture has started the process of registering all farmers digitally to enable it project yields.

The initiative also aims at curbing the stealing of subsidised fertiliser and seeds meant for farmers.

Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri said the exercise has commenced, with the first group of farmers being those who grow staple food.

“I have already dispatched teams on the ground that are currently registering farmers who grow potatoes, maize, vegetables and rice, among others. This programme will help us project the harvest of the crops as well as know how farmers are faring on their farms,” noted the CS.

Kiunjuri said the registration will take two months before they start another exercise of registering farmers who grow other crops.

He added the programme will help curb the rising cases of theft of subsidised fertiliser and seeds by some greedy ministry officials.

From his mobile phone or the office computer, he said he will be able to know all the farmers in the country.

-Boniface Mwangi and Irene Mugo

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Experts call for increased funding

Experts have called for the acceleration of agricultural investment to boost production.

Speaking at the third Agricultural Research Symposium in Nairobi this week, they noted that research will guarantee nutrition, food security, job creation and poverty reduction in a sustainable manner.

Alison Chartres, the Australian High Commissioner to Kenya, said that the initiative “provides space that encourages collaborative contribution towards achieving food security in Africa.”

-Leopold Obi