By K, KNA
The Kenya Seed Company (KSC) projects to produce the highest quantity of high-quality maize seed this season since its inception 70 years ago.
KSC Managing Director Sammy Chepsiror said they expect to produce 44 million kilograms of maize seed this season, compared to 30 million kilograms last year and 23 million kilograms the previous year.
The MD said this has been made possible by the policies guided by the Kenya Kwanza administration, which has prioritized agriculture since it came to power in 2022.
Chepsiror assured the country that KSC has adequate maize seed varieties to satisfy the Kenyan market and a surplus for export to the East African region.
Speaking during a morning radio show on one of the vernacular stations, the MD further revealed that the company, whose main mandate is to produce quality seeds for a variety of crops, will produce enough wheat variety seeds for planting next year.
“For some time, wheat farmers have had challenges accessing quality seed, but I want to assure them that Kenya Seed now has enough seeds for next year’s planting season,” said the MD.
He added that the company also has a variety of bean seeds, vegetables, and even sunflowers, and urged farmers who have already harvested their first crop to take advantage of the ongoing rains to plant fast-maturing food crops to earn them extra income.
“I want to ask farmers to grow sunflowers for edible oil, especially. The government spends a lot on importing sunflower oil while Kenya is endowed with soils conducive to sunflower production,” said Chepsiror
Chepsiror said that with the good rains, coupled with the government-subsidized fertilizer and assured quality maize seed that farmers planted this year, the country expected a bumper maize harvest.
“Maize plays a significant part in the country’s food security, hence the effort by KSC to ensure it protects the quality of maize seed it produces,” he said, adding that for a long time, Kenyan maize farmers had fallen victim to a cartel that was selling them fake maize seed that led to poor production.
I wish to thank the government security agencies that have assisted us in dealing with fake maize seed merchants, and I assure our farmers that we shall continue reigning in on the unscrupulous traders to ensure only approved seed gets into the market, he added.