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The Government is actively promoting value addition of livestock and agricultural products to ensure Kenya’s livestock products are competitive in the international market.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the public investments are meant to increase farmers’ income and improve the country’s trade balance by selling higher-value, export-ready products.
Kagwe said promoting value addition in produce such as oil crops, macadamia nuts, tea, coffee, dairy products and avocado could boost Kenya’s manufacturing sector, create at least three million jobs and increase foreign exchange earnings.
“Efforts are being made to improve market access for value-added products, including developing cooperatives and facilitating trade relationships with other countries,” he added.
The Cabinet Secretary indicated that they were working on a proposal to slash down taxes on packaging materials of agricultural products and assured farmers that the government was actively addressing the shortage of quality potato seed by promoting new technologies like rooted apical cuttings and focusing on certified seed production to boost yields and reduce reliance on traditional seed tubers.
The initiative aims to address the imbalance in potato demand and supply chains by ensuring sufficient certified seeds that could withstand diseases and promote increased farmer earnings.
Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) has been mandated to develop new seed varieties designed to accelerate early-generation seed production, reducing the reliance on traditional seed tubers.
“The government is encouraging the production of certified seeds that are drought-resistant and disease-tolerant, addressing the shortage of certified seeds in the market,” he stated.
The Cabinet Secretary moved to assure Kenyans that the government was on course to fight the importation and use of harmful pesticides in the country adding that they had received a list of 50 pesticide products from the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) whose importation would be banned as they do not comply with safety standards and posed health risks to citizens.
Kagwe’s move comes amid growing concerns about the presence of highly hazardous pesticides in the Kenyan market, many of which were banned in other countries, including those in the European Union.
The Cabinet Secretary stated that the government was also supporting initiatives to promote safer and more sustainable agricultural practices, including encouraging the use of organic farming methods and promoting the development of natural pest control methods.
In his remarks, the Head of Public Service and Chief of Staff Koskei pointed out that on April 29 this year, the Cabinet approved the Draft Pest Control Products Bill which modernizes the regulation of pest control products in Kenya.
He stated that the Bill aligns with the Kenya Constitution and international standards that enhance food safety and environmental protection.
Governor Susan Kihika pledged that her administration is targeting to boost pyrethrum growing by ensuring that at least 30,000 acres of land is put under the crop in the region within the next two years.
She stated that they were collaborating with the state-owned Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya (PPCK) and private entities to put up nurseries that would provide farmers with quality seedlings with a view of increasing acreage under the crop.
Ms Kihika said they would make sure sufficient land is available in pyrethrum growing zones of Molo, Kuresoi South, Kuresoi North and Njoro Sub-Counties to enable PPCK and other private sector actors to set up crop nurseries in a plan aimed at lessening the burden of sourcing for seedlings from other regions.
They were speaking during the launch of the distribution of one million clean pyrethrum planting materials at the National Cereals and Produce (NCPB) grounds in Elburgon, within Njoro Sub-County.
