Uasin Gishu County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture Samuel Yego on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, hosted Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya Limited (PPCK) officials who are in the county in a bid to revive pyrethrum production.
The company, in partnership with the county, is seeking to among others provide planting materials, help farmers in establishing nurseries, provide extension services and construct a solar dryer in Uasin Gishu.
Yego, speaking during the meeting, praised the Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya Limited for the move saying that the department will set aside funds to support the program aimed at improving food security, providing regular income as well as providing alternative farming to farmers.
He further said that more farmers are interested in the re-establishment of pyrethrum across the region.
Uasin Gishu County Director for Agriculture, Reuben Seroney, on his part, said that with 400 to 500 kilograms of dry flowers per acre in a year at an average of 270 per kilogram, a grower can make between Ksh108,000 to Ksh135,000 per acre annually.
Seroney challenged farmers who are interested in the program to seek advice from the agricultural extension officers at the wards.
The demand for natural pyrethrums is on the rise as agrichemical manufacturers increasingly prefer products with low mammalian toxicity and zero-residue biopesticides.
In August 2021, the government released Ksh40 million to facilitate the purchase of pyrethrum seedlings for farmers in order to step up pyrethrum production in 18 high potential counties.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya while unveiling the initiative said the money was to be disbursed to the counties immediately to facilitate the purchase of seedlings to enable farmers to begin planting the crop.
Economists say the Pyrethrum sub-sector that collapsed due to delayed payments and lack of planting material has the potential to provide gainful employment to at least 2 million people.
The Ministry of Agriculture has been working on a Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) that it hopes will scale up pyrethrum acreage from the current 2,000 to 10,000.
