Kisii Governor Simba Arati has vowed to invest in value addition and cash crop farming in order to improve the quality of agricultural production in the county.
Speaking at Gusii stadium in Kisii town during the Mashujaa Day celebrations on Thursday, Arati said the county is keen to leverage on agriculture which remains a key driver of the economy as it provides employment, wealth creation and food security.
The Governor noted his administration is laying emphasis on the revival of cash crops such as coffee and pyrethrum whose production has taken a hit over the decades.
“My administration will work closely with coffee societies through the Gusii Farmers Coffee Union aimed at boosting coffee production. We must, as a county pay attention to agro-processing, branding, and marketing in the coffee sector once billed as the black gold,” said Arati.
He pointed out that Kisii was known as a leading producer of pyrethrum over the past years and they are determined to have the county back on the Kenyan map as a region that produces high-quality pyrethrum.
The County boss noted they recently held fruitful engagements with the leadership of the Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya (PPCK) with the aim of rallying farmers in the potential areas of Kisii County to embrace pyrethrum farming once more.
In addition, Arati said the operationalization of the Banana-processing Factory and Avocado Processing plant at the Kisii Agricultural Training Centre, and the setting up of the Sugarcane Processing plant in South Mugirango will go a long way in addressing critical agricultural sectors within the borders of the county.
By Mercy Osongo
