Machakos County, in partnership with the World Bank, has launched the distribution of Agricultural inputs worth 81.5 million that will go to 367 farmer groups to elevate the agricultural production capacity within Machakos County.
The exercise is set to benefit 10,000 households within Kathetheni, Masii, Ikombe, Kola, and Kalama wards.
Speaking during the launch at her office, Governor Wavinya Ndeti said her government is mobilising all the available resources to ensure the farmers recover from the effects of the drought.
“To improve agricultural production, my government has initiated a number of projects, including the “Maziwa na Mali” initiative, which aims at increasing dairy milk production among farmers,” pointed out Wavinya.
The Governor further added that a community development-driven approach has been used to deliver the projects, where the communities identify their needs and develop an action plan for addressing the said needs.
She noted that the agricultural inputs included 50, 307 one-month-old indigenous chicks, 3 incubator units, 61 Sahiwal yearling cows, 1,725 goats, 1,827 assorted fertiliser bags, 437 wheelbarrows, 1,444 bags of chick feed, 540 Ox-drawn ploughs, 1,293 pieces of iron sheets, and 1,263 multi-story gardens.
Wavinya urged the Committee managing the grants to ensure transparency and accountability in handling the resources on behalf of the people of Machakos and the farmers to use the inputs provided to increase crop and livestock productivity.
She added that three farmers’ Cooperatives have been funded to start processing their farm produce.
Earlier in April, Governor Wavinya embarked on an empowerment programme for farmers by issuing cheques worth 138,180,837 million to facilitate the procurement of farm inputs to promote production in Machakos County.
She expressed optimism that the noble gesture would spur higher yields and ensure the needed food security among groups and individual farmers by boosting productivity and creating wealth in the county.
Wavinya implored Machakos residents to exploit the available opportunities in crop production, fish farming, and dairy production to increase production by using the established channels, including the extension services.
By Anne Kangero
