The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) is seeking to recruit young farmers across the country to engage in sunflower cultivation to enhance local production of edible oils and cut reliance on imports.
Speaking during the launch of Open Week exhibition in Kabete, Kiambu County, KALRO chairman Dr. Thuo Mathenge said the institute plans to engage at least 200 young people from each of the 47 counties in planting sunflowers given that the government is ready to allocate around 400 acres of land in this initiative.
“We will engage the youth through cooperatives and connect them with the Youth Fund, with the Agriculture Finance Corporation (AFC), Hustlers fund. We want them to know about agriculture, show them that agriculture can be good business and that they can make money in it” said Dr. Mathenge.
He emphasized that the government has now got land, resources and scientists to ensure the growth of the sunflower plant is materialized.
Dr. Mathenge went on to explain that once the youth grow the crop, the government is going to organize, buy oil pressing machines plus refinery so that they can make oil and this he noted will rid importation of oil from outside the country that costs billions of shillings.
“We are starting with the sunflower, we want to make enough oil and stop Kenya from importing cooking oil but will be able to move other crops and value chains and this means creating jobs for over 10,000 youth”, added Dr. Mathenge.
According to KALRO Director General Dr. Eliud Kireger, if Kenya can produce enough edible oils locally by boosting sunflower production, the country will be able to cut its annual import bill by about Ksh 60 billion.
“Our youth can utilize this kind of money and we would like to introduce sunflower growth even at homestead level just like it was in the 1970s when sunflower production was done but fizzled out due to lack of market”, he added.
He noted that Kenya has its own varieties and focus currently because of climate change are those that are drought tolerant, because that is the biggest challenge.
Kenya boasts of about 14 varieties of sunflower seeds, has significant potential for sunflower cultivation, particularly for edible oil production, currently produces about 80,000 metric tonnes but spends up to Ksh 117 billion annually for the importation of edible oil and this trend can be reversed through investment in sunflower farming.
Dr. Kireger explained that the KALRO exhibition week that runs every year across all KALRO centres engages farmers who are able to see the latest technologies, varieties that are available for them to plant and this includes a demo farm that shows them how to plant the crops.
During the month-long exhibition, he added that farmers are able to also purchase products such as the planting materials especially now at this time when the rains are almost on and noted that there are over 400 crops that are ready for commercialization.
