By Mary Mwendwa
It is always joyful when every farmer gets a bumper harvest, however this does not just drop from heaven , there are certain things that a farmer needs to put in consideration to achieve good yields. Apart from a healthy soil, good climate among other things, seed quality is critical.
During a recent awards ceremony organized by East Africa Seed Company dubbed,15th Top Customers Meet to award some of their top performers in seed distribution chain,one by one they all praised the quality of the seed they sale to farmers.They all agreed that without quality seed a farmer may not achieve high yields.
Speaking during the ceremony was one happy young horticulture farmer from Uasin Gishu County.Nimrod Kibet Ngetich could not hide his joy when he testified about his success as a farmer who exports Peanut butter to Dubai.”I use seeds from East Africa Seed Company to plant my horticulture crops, I have a big farm where I plant a variety of vegetables and many other crops.I even export peanut butter to Dubai which fetches me good money in the end.Iam a technology savvy farmer too, google is my friend , I use it to get any information about the Crops I have in my farm.”A happy Ngetich says.
However, anything under the sun has its own challenges, Ngetich points out how shortage of government extension officers has affected many farmers like him.”We need extension officers to help us in many areas of farming, these people are not available and if they are , they are very few especially in the Counties.
Also we need more agronomists on the ground to advise us on certain areas in farming. East Africa Seed Company has been helpful to me, any time I ask them something on seeds they respond timely and their seeds have not failed me in any way. Iam calling upon all stakeholders in the agriculture sector to take farmers seriously because without them agriculture chain cannot be completed.”He concludes.
Similarly, Johnson Gathuku, a vegetable farmers from Molo points out how he gets cabbage seeds from East Africa Seed which are resistant to diseases.”These seeds I use do not stress me because of diseases, as you know diseases and pests bring a huge loss to the farmer. At times there are no ready markets for cabbages and they don’t spoil easily.”
Gathuku says there are challenges to do with soil testing which is critical in farming.”I once planted two acres of cabbages and when they sprout I realized the sizes were very small, this worried me a lot and when I asked for advised I was told the seed type was not right for my soil type.I think we need more soil texting kits in the villages where farmers operate to avoid such problems. Soil testing is one of the biggest challenges in Molo where I come from.”
Bornface Wekesa, Seed Distributor, Nakewa Distributors , Bungoma County narrates how seed distribution has seen him earn money for a living.”Seed distribution business can be lucrative, if only you get quality seed for farmers and they are delivered on time.These days there are so many seed companies and only those who work towards quality stand out.I sell seeds from EAS to my farmers in Bungoma and I never get any complains therefore my business booms.I sell a variety of seeds ranging from cereals, vegetables and many others.Some farmers in some cases lack seed knowledge and therefore you find them oming back to complain but when we follow up we realized they had no knowledge on seed handling. Iam calling upon the seed companies to provide training to farmers on seeds that need special attention to avoid losses and blames to the distributor.”
Wekesa noted that farmers these days need seeds that are early maturing because of the unpredictable climate patterns.For example maize farmers now want maize that mature between 3-4 months to be sure of a good harvest.He also complained of lack of extension service which he says in not functional in his county.”I think distributors and stockists need to be trained to take up this crucial role that our farmers are now lacking.”He advised.
Wekesa concluded by saying ;”At times agriculture is viewed as a business of failures in this country and therefore you find young people shying away from it.We have the best climate and environment that can enable us feed the entire world.”
Jitu Shah, Managing Director , East Africa Seed (EAS) , while gracing awards occasion where distributors were awarded for their outstanding performance, noted how the 15 TH farmer meet occasion was an important event for farmers. ”As EAS we have tried our best to give farmers quality seeds through our distributors who are placed across the counties. we are also constantly investing in products world wide with established growers. we are also working on new technologies that will be brought in to help the farmer achieve high yields.”
Shah talked about how climate change had brought dynamics in the seed industry because if its devastating effects to the atmosphere. Pests and diseases were also some of the challenges he talked about.
Agriculture remains a key player in Kenya’s economy and therefore Ernest Mbogo , Senior Director, Ministry of Agriculture said that as stakeholders in the agriculture sector they are charged with the responsibility of ensuring Kenya as a country is food secure.
”Agriculture is a big contributor to the economy, for example horticulture brings in over 280 Billion cash annually to our economy. We have a role to ensure Kenya is food secure.”
