After years in the doldrums, pyrethrum is on the mend

New investment opportunities are opening in pyrethrum farming. After years of neglect, the sector is back on the agenda of the county in a big way.

Investors will find huge opportunities in seed production, sale and marketing of pesticide and consultancy in provision of extension services.

Governor Kinuthia Mbugua, says that revival of the pyrethrum industry has been the top priority for the county from the very outset.

The country administration has been aggressively pressing the national government on the issue of arrears owed to farmers.

As a result, most of the arrears had been cleared. He disclosed that the county had allocated Sh100 million to be used for purchasing subsidized seed to farmers.

Running parallel to the initiative by the county government is the revival of the marketing authority- Pyrethrum Regulatory Authority (PRA).

Its factory, which has been dormant for years, is now up and running following  an injection of Sh300 million in its rehabilitation.

And since he was posted to the dilapidated and rundown factory, four months ago, PRA Managing Director Alfred Taabu Busolo has given the Nakuru factory a new lease of life.

Even demoralized workers who previously stayed for months without their salaries are now a happy lot as their salary delays are a thing of the past.

The new MD who was poached from the Kenya Seed Company where he was a deputy managing director has managed to cool down the tempers of hundreds of retrenched workers who were owed millions of shillings in unpaid pension dues.

But it is the confidence he has instilled in farmers that has been a driving force that has seen farmers in Molo, Elburgon, Milangine and Mau Narok start delivering their flowers at the Nakuru factory.

Even farmers who had been selling the dried flowers to Chinese middlemen have made a big about-turn save for a few in Naivasha who are yet to be converted.

“Very soon they will all come on board because the government has made serious commitment to turn around the sub sector and that is why I urge farmers to deliver their dried flowers at Nakuru factory,” said Mr Busolo.

Mr John Njoroge Ndun’gu, 51,  a farmer in Mau Narok and the chairman of Nakuru County Pyrethrum Cooperative Society, said farmers in the area were now happy that PRA has embarked on a mission to pay them their delayed dues.

“Our only worry now is lack of planting materials ... we hope PRA will address this issue,” said Mr Njoroge.

Ms Loise Gathoni said that she started planting pyrethrum in 1969 and despite the turbulent times she has not uprooted the crop.

“It is my sincere hope that PRA will clear the arrears and start paying farmers on time beside paying  us bonus that we used to enjoy,” said Ms Gathoni.

Nakuru County government has set aside Sh120 million for reviving the once lucrative industry that used to earn the country in excess of Sh18billion in the 1970s and 1980s.

Of this, Sh20 million will be for buying 10 million seedlings to be distributed at no cost to farmers.

JOBS FOR YOUTHS

Governor Mbugua says his government will give the sector top priority in its development agenda saying it was capable of employing thousands of youths and generating wealth to many of Nakuru’s residents.

“The only way to tame the runaway unemployment rate among our youths is to revive the pyrethrum sub sector and my government is totally committed to achieve this goal at whatever cost,” said Mr Mbugua.

Nakuru West MP Samuel Arama in whose constituency the factory is situated said that he will mobilise all the 11 MPS from Nakuru County to push for the increase of the budgetary allocation from the current Sh300 million to Sh600 million in the 2014/205 financial estimates.