High production costs deny farmers good returns.
Kenya National Farmers Federation executive officer John Mutunga said the cost of production eats into their earnings.
He spoke during the agriculture summit at State House on Monday.
“Efforts to reduce fertiliser cost are important and I commend the government for that,” he said.
“But it should not only be fertiliser. Other farm inputs, such as agrochemicals that cost from 15 to 30 per cent, also determine cost.”
Mutunga said the cost of credit to farmers remains high, as the Agricultural Finance Corporation is not well funded to serve them adequately.
“The AFC has little resources and can only serve some farmers, but it should be able to serve all those who need credit,” he said.
He recommended more efforts be put into increasing the sector’s growth.
“We have many smallholder farmers. To reduce cost, we must move from small to large-scale production. We have the capacity,” Mutunga said.
