Four Saccos in Machakos County have received support from the county government through the Emergency Locusts Response Fund (ELRP) in order to improve on collective marketing of farm produce and increase access to savings and credit facilities.
The four farmer producer organizations will receive an inclusion grant of KSH500,000 each through ELRP programme which today started compensating farmers affected by locust invasion in the year in 2019 and 2020.
They include Kayatta Irrigation Rural Co-operative Society Ltd in Matungulu North Ward, Masinga Horticultural Farmers Cooperative Society Limited, Mbiuni Livestock Co-operative Society and Kalau Farmers Savings and Credit Co-operative Society in Mbiuni Ward.
These groups have now been empowered to increase membership. The funds will also be used to train members on collective marketing and purchase of inputs.
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“I would like to remind our people that food security and economic development through agricultural production are the key pillars of my administration,” said Governor Wavinya Ndeti while in Mwala Sub-county launching various support initiatives worth KSh35,580,171 targeting communities who were severely affected by the locust invasion.
“Farmers are encouraged to join this Farmer Producer Organizations and Saccos for collective marketing of farm produce and access to savings and credit facilities,” added Governor Ndeti.
The initiative between the County Government of Machakos and the Emergency Locust Response Programme is targeting farmers in Matungulu North, Mbiuni, Kivaa and Masinga Central wards.
The package includes; Galla goats, improved indigenous chicks, chick mash, hermatic bags, banana tissue culture seedlings, certified seeds (beans and cowpeas), foliar feed, insecticides, fungicides, fertilizer, beehives and eartags among other products.
Governor Ndeti said the rapidly-growing global population provided the need to develop innovative ways of increasing food production to meet the spiraling demand and called on the youth to embrace agriculture as the next frontier for big business.
By Stephen Muthini
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