Kakamega: The National Government is set to distribute 12.5 million bags of planting and top-dressing fertiliser in a bid to enhance crop yields this financial year. This initiative is part of a larger strategy to ensure food security and lower food prices across the nation.
According to Kenya News Agency, Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Mutahi Kagwe, emphasized the critical role of agriculture in Kenya's economy, noting its contribution of approximately 27 percent to the economy while employing over 40 percent of the total population, and over 70 percent of the rural workforce. Speaking at the Agriculture Society of Kenya (ASK) Kakamega Show, CS Kagwe highlighted the successful registration of over 6.5 million farmers through the Electronic Voucher (E-voucher) system. This system has facilitated the distribution of over 14.7 million bags of subsidized fertiliser since 2022, significantly reducing fertiliser prices.
The CS noted that the investment in agriculture has also been instrumental in decreasing the price of maize flour, thus contributing to national food security while reducing maize imports by 66 percent. The goal is to eliminate the need for maize imports altogether.
In the livestock sector, milk production surged to 5.4 million liters in 2024, with exports expanding to markets in Oman, Uganda, Seychelles, and the United Arab Emirates. The Ministry is enhancing livestock production through programs such as Artificial Insemination (AI) services and pasture development. The National Livestock Vaccination program aims to inoculate millions of cattle, sheep, and goats, with 3.7 million animals already vaccinated.
In the tea industry, production rose from 535 million kilograms in 2022 to 598 million kilograms in 2024, with earnings increasing from Sh138 billion to Sh181 billion. The sugar sector also saw growth, with production rising to 832 metric tons in 2024. The government is introducing new sugarcane facilities and exploring the potential for sugar factories to contribute to the national power grid.
To boost edible oil production, the government is distributing sunflower seeds and coconut seedlings, increasing land under oil crop production to 114,000 hectares. This effort aims to reduce edible oil imports by 50 percent by 2027-2028.
Projects like the Kenya Livestock Commercialization Project (KeLCoP) and the Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP) are being implemented in western Kenya to increase income and nutrition for households. The CS also called for youth engagement in agriculture, urging counties and the private sector to support agribusiness initiatives.
Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa confirmed the county's collaboration with the National government, providing storage facilities for fertiliser distribution and contributing to peasant farmers' incomes through fertiliser distribution.