By Okong’o Oduya
Busia County, Kenya: Busia governor Dr. Paul Otuoma lauded how the County has great potential in food production that is yet to be tapped.
Addressing women during the International women’s day 2023 celebrations at Agricultural Training Center in Busia town, Dr. Otuoma said most farmers in villages are women and there is a need for them to leverage technology to address food security in the county.
“When you walk around the majority of people you will find on farms are women and our mothers. That is why there is a need to educate them on how to embrace technology to boost their farming,” said Mr. Otuoma.
The governor said that his administration will identify a collection center for cassava and groundnuts that is grown on a small scale to find a market on behalf of farmers.
“I am impressed with reports that we are producing groundnuts worth KSh1 billion annually. But we need to increase it to sh15 billion annually. My government will pump in more resources to make sure that we get to 15 billion so that the industrial parks we plan to put at Nasewa gets enough raw material to operate,” he said.
He noted that “We need to reorganize farming through aggregation activities. We will collect produce from small-scale farmers, and sell them in large quantities.”
He appealed to women in the county to be the champions of the blue economy adding that the output in the fish farming sector is yet to be fully tapped.
“We must be the champions of the blue economy. If you compare the money the government is pumping into the blue economy vis-à-vis and the output you will realize that there is a lot we need to do. Those doing cage farming in lake Victoria and those with ponds, need to do more and by doing so we will improve the county’s economic status,”
Cassava farming the governor further noted the need for farmers in the county to do cassava farming on large scale.
“Cassava has been with us all along for years, that is why I am saying we need to be the champions in cassava farming in the whole country,” he said.
On edible oil production, Mr. Otuoma said the county will embark on growing crops such as sunflower, sim, and soya beans to venture into oil production.
The wife to the late Gem member of the National Assembly Mr. Jakoyo Midiwo, Dr. Rose Midiwo urged the county government to continue supporting women in agribusiness.
“Women have said they have the machines to help them do cassava value addition, and that is the innovation we are talking about.
“I wish to urge the governor, as we continue supporting the women, to create a save environment and space for them to continue thriving in their business.” She said.
Ms. Christine Ouma, a fish farmer from Siunga village in Butula sub county noted that for the last few years, she has been doing aquaculture as a business, and her life and that of her family changed.
The money she makes from selling fish is used to cater to her basic needs.
However, she asked the county government to address the issue of fish feed adding that it is expensive to buy fish feed.
“As much as fish farming has changed my life, it is good to know that getting fish feeds is draining us financially. Let the government come in and help us get fish feeds cheaply,” she said
Ms. Teresa Papai from the Teso region says she specialized in groundnut farming and it is paying her well.
According to her, she sells more than 10 tones of groundnuts every month to the market in Isibania and Migori.
“Groundnut farming is paying but it can fetch more money if we bring the market closed. In a month I sell more than 10 tones of groundnuts in Isibania and Migori but transportation costs reduce the income. I call on the county government to materialize the industrial parks at Nasewa, to bring the market close to us,” she urged.
