Farmers in Teso North are set to benefit more from cotton farming following the establishment of a ginnery at Jairos Farmers’ Co-operative Society, where installation of the processing machines is underway.
Once operational, the ginnery will process seed cotton obtained from farmers into lint bales, while additional machines will crush the cottonseed to produce crude cottonseed oil and cottonseed cake for animal feed.
The society plans to acquire another machine to refine the crude oil into edible cottonseed oil.
The co-operative society acquired the ginnery through support from the Busia County Government under the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP).
NAVCDP is a World Bank-supported project aimed at increasing market participation and promoting value addition among smallholder farmers to improve their incomes.
Previously, the cotton collected from farmers in the region was transported to other ginneries, including the Muluanda Ginnery in Samia, for processing
Speaking to KNA, the chairman of Jairos Farmers’ co-operative society, Sammy Odama, urged more farmers to join the society and plant cotton to provide sufficient raw material for the ginnery.
“The machines will have a capacity to process over 1,000 kilogrammes of seed cotton per hour. We have three of the machines, so the capacity is high and we need high volumes of cotton,” noted Odama.
He assured farmers that once the ginnery starts operation, the society will continue supporting them to ensure they benefit from cotton farming and are able to take care of their families.
“We have already issued sprays to farmers and we shall also provide inputs,” he said.
Odama noted that the society had managed to provide bursaries to about 100 students from farming families in the region this year using profits realized from the crop.
He thanked the government for providing Bt cotton seed, while calling for more support to acquire additional machines to expand the ginnery and increase its processing capacity, enabling farmers to earn more and improve their livelihoods.
The Busia County Government has already distributed 1.3 tonnes of Bt cotton seed to farmers across the county in an effort to boost local production and increase acreage under the crop.
Odama also noted that the society has identified a partner willing to provide cotton varieties whose seed could be replanted in subsequent seasons.
He said the partner has already provided the seeds which are undergoing field trials at the co-operative and among a few farmers to compare its performance before it is adopted.
“Farmers have been facing challenges in accessing seed. With this partnership and the ongoing field trials, once successful, we shall establish a cotton seed bank,” he said.
He assured that the society would work closely with Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) to ensure the varieties undergo the necessary evaluation and that the seed meets the required quality standards
By Moses Wekesa
