President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday called on farmers in the country to embrace new agricultural technologies in order to achieve maximum production needed to attain national food security.
According to President Kenyatta this will drive the economy forward by creating job opportunities while increasing the incomes of those dependent on agriculture.
“A time has come for us to adapt our agricultural cultures to the needs of today. It is time to come together and upscale the quality and not necessarily quantity of our produce,” President Kenyatta said during the inaugural Narok County Livestock Show and Auction held at Narok Stadium on Monday.
Similarly, President Kenyatta called on livestock farmers to effectively use land and keep fewer but more productive livestock that can even be sustained during dry seasons.
“There is no need for anyone to have 1,000 or 2,000 cattle but when drought strikes only less that 200 remain. You should instead keep less numbers that attract huge sums,” President Kenyatta elaborated.
President Kenyatta also urged farmers to incorporate the storage of bale, grass, dairy products and other agricultural produce into their farming techniques.
In addition, President Kenyatta also commended Narok County for being a leading agricultural hub and tourist destination in the country. President Kenyatta similarly attributed the county’s agricultural and tourism success to devolution.
To that effect, President Kenyatta disclosed that the national government had partnered with the County government of Narok to use part of the Ksh. 3 billion set aside to improve the profitability of agriculture in the region by introducing coolers to dairy farming cooperatives in every ward in the area.
The Head of State also revealed the construction of a rawhide tannery in Narok County that will be used to process and manufacture leather products in a bid to support grassroots enterprises.
“This show is a good start. This is the true meaning of devolution, to support grassroots enterprise for job creation. My prayer is that after a few years every livestock keeper will have high grade animals as we have seen in the show today,” President Kenyatta said.
