Bungoma County Government is set to revive the dormant co-operative societies in the region.
Stella Mutsotso, the Chief Officer in charge of Co-operatives urged farmers to join co-operative societies in order to empower themselves economically.
“If our farmers join co-operative societies, they will get better returns of their agricultural produce based on their bargaining power. We therefore offer support to all co-operatives across the county,” said the CO.
She added that the programme will ensure that dormant cooperative societies are rejuvenated.
She said that this is the only way to cushion or rather protect farmers from the usual losses they have been incurring due to poor market prices and exploitation by the middlemen.
Mutsotso said farmers will now undergo training in capacity building and best farming practices as well as getting exposed to the benefits of joining Saccos to enable them make informed decisions.
She said that for farmers to see the fruits of their sweats, they should join cooperative societies where they can put in their earnings and access loans at ease.
Bungoma has 42 registered co-operative societies with membership of over 200,000. Mt. Elgon Sub County leads with 17 cooperatives.
She however added that most of the co-operatives were dormant due to lack of commitment from members, lack of patience, shifting to other areas and loan defaulting According to Ms. Mutsotso, rural co-operatives had shown poor performance as compared to those operating in urban areas probably due to lack of proper education to the residents.
