The county government of Kisii in Kenya has announced plans to revamp pyrethrum farming. The county has partnered with Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya (PPCK) towards the development.
The partnership will include the recruitment of over 10,000 new farmers who will be provided with seedlings in a plan that will hopefully take the county back to its glory days between the 60s and 80s when it was a leading producer of pyrethrum.
The county government and PPCK will put up nurseries that will provide farmers with quality seedlings with a view of increasing acreage under the crop, according to the firm’s acting chief executive Mary Ontiri.
Economic wellbeing
“We want to make sure the region gets it right from the onset even as we seek to revamp pyrethrum farming here,” Ms Ontiri said noting the success of the project will also boost the region’s economic wellbeing.
Ontiri who spoke during a meeting with Kisii Governor James Ongwae added that her company will be paying between Sh200 and Sh250 per kilogram of pyrethrum flowers. The firm has its processing plant in Nakuru.
“We are determined to make the project work. And the government is ready to support farmers in this venture, right from the grassroots,” she said.
The governor said they will make sure sufficient land is available in pyrethrum growing zones to enable PPCK to set up crop nurseries in a plan aimed at lessening the burden of sourcing for seedlings from other regions. The nurseries will grow the developed Kisii Region Pyrethrum Clone that is disease resistant and has higher pyrethrum content.
