Mechanization only way to ensure profitable agri-business

Agriculture, Livestock & Fisheries Cabinet Secretary Willy Bett has challenged farmers to embrace mechanization in agriculture inorder to bring down the cost of production of agricultural produce.

“Only by reducing the cost of production by using approprirate mechanization can farmers break even and realize reasonable profit margins” says Bett adding that traditional farming for domestic consmption is no longer fashionable and should be replaced by commercial agri-business.

He says the Government will roll out youth-friendly agricultural programmes aimed at effectively engaging the youth in profitable agro-based enterprises.

The CS was officially launching the Siaya and Nandi Counties agri-value chain incubator inititiatives on August 18 and 19, 2016 respectively.

The two incubator initiatives are among the three being piloted by the Agriculture Sector Development Support Program (ASDSP) in Siaya, Nandi and Makueni Counties. Incubation domains in the pilot counties are buiness development, Tehcnology development and institutional development. Also read new Amiran fly traps for fruit flies in the market

The project aims at attaining a progressive reduction in unemployment and poverty through promotion of viable and equitable commercialization of the agricultural sector through value chain incubation initiatives.

Animal feed processing, cage fish farming and mango processing in Nandi, Siaya and Makueni Counties respectively, have been identified as the inititial enterprises that have apotential to unlock the commercialization process.