Kenyans have been urged to take up sunflower farming to bridge the acute shortage of edible oil in the country.
The appeal comes as Kenya Seed Company improved the quality of sunflowers for different ecological zones, from highlands to lowlands, to boost its cultivation.
Speaking on Friday at the Nairobi Agricultural Show, KSC chairperson Wangui Ngirici urged farmers to take advantage of the predicted El Nino rains and plant the certified seeds on their farms.
“The Kenya Seed Company researchers have developed various hybrid sunflower seeds that have been stocked in various outlets across the country,” she said.
“I, therefore, would urge our farmers to grow the seeds so we can locally process sufficient edible oils to reduce the import.”
Additionally, she urged farmers to visit all Kenya Seed Company branches that have been stocked with hybrid sunflower seeds.
Ngirici said the hybrid sunflower seeds are disease and pest resistant and will take a shorter time to mature, adding that the seeds have high yields compared to indigenous ones.
While opening the show on Wednesday last week, President William Ruto directed the Agriculture ministry to ensure that sunflower seeds are made available to the farmers.
This so the country can have enough raw materials to manufacture edible oils.
Ngirici said the company and others partners like Simlaw Seeds have heeded the call.
She also called on people living in urban centers to adopt horticulture farming in their small kitchen gardens to help them reduce the cost of buying produce like tomatoes and vegetables.
Ngirici urged farmers to diversify their farming by adopting the cultivation of other crops in the agricultural value chain to enhance food security.
