Cotton farmers in Busia County, Kenya have been warned of a possible drop in the 2021 harvest over prohibitive seed prices.
Jairosi Cotton Farmers Cooperative Society chairman Aggrey Emojong announced that the high seed prices continue to push many growers away from the crop. Out of the 2,750 registered farmers under his leadership, only 15 planted the crop in June and July. The crop is usually planted in June and July. The 15 are those who had surplus seeds from the 2020 season.
However, he noted that another 150 farmers had by Friday last week picked seeds from the cooperative society’s offices in preparation for planting in September. The seeds are for the KSM 81 low yield variety.
Late planting
Emojong said going by the number of farmers planting cotton in 2021 coupled with late planting, the sector may experience a drop in this year’s harvest. Most farmers, had stayed away from planting because they cannot afford to buy high-yielding hybrid seeds.
A two-kilo packet of the recommended hybrid Mahyco C567 retails at Sh2,200, a price he said is too high for many growers. The number of growers who planted the crop in 2020 was high because the seeds were distributed for free.
“If they want the farmers to continue planting cotton with the enthusiasm they had in 2020 when the hybrid seed came, they should reduce the cost of seeds to approximately Sh500 for one kilo packet. Alternatively, the seeds can be distributed on loan. Farmers should be allowed to service the loan after harvesting and selling their cotton at the end of the season,” said Emojong.
