• Seed Co chief executive Morgan Nzuwere said the company has been importing seeds from Zambia due to shortages.
• Nzuwere said apart from ensuring the country has enough seeds the scheme also provides employment to youths and helps in improving food security in the region.
Farmers from Weiwei irrigation scheme have partnered with Seed Co company to increase seed production in the country.
Seed Co chief executive Morgan Nzuwere said the company has been importing seeds from Zambia du to shortages.
Nzuwere, who spoke at the scheme on Tuesday, said they are partnering with various farmers in the country to help improve sufficiency.
He said the company aims at seeding and feeding Africa. It has operated in Kenya for the past 10 years.
“We want this country to produce its own seeds that's why were are partnering with farmers to increase seed production,” he said.
Weiewei irrigation scheme has set aside over 900 acres of land to grow seeds during this second planting season.
The WeiWei Integrated Development Project was started in 1987 following the signing of a development cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Italian Development Cooperation.
Nzuwere said apart from ensuring the country has enough seeds the scheme also provides employment to youths and helps in improving food security in the region.
“We shall supply them with seed for planting and we shall also help them in incurring land preparation costs," he said.
The officer assured farmers of ready market and asked them not to waste time in looking for market for their produce.
“The company will buy the seeds when they are ready. Farmers should concentrate on maintaining the crops and leave marketing to us,” he said.
He said the company is committed to supporting farmers as the favourable climatic conditions in the area will enable the crops to mature faster.
Weiwei farmers association chairman Mark Meut said they are in the second season of farming and harvesting will be after four months.
Meut said that apart from farming, they when want farmers to better their lives by having enough food and taking their children to school.
“We have signed the agreement with the organisation to help our farmers better their lives,” he said.
The chairman asked farmers to engage in crop diversification so that their farms don’t loss fertility.
“We are in talks with the company so that we don’t plant maize seeds every season to help end diseases related to maize and help in improving soil fertility,” he said.
Stephen Tingoria said that as farmers from the region they have greatly benefited from the scheme.
Tingoria asked the government to fasten implementation of phase three to enable youths own land in the scheme.
“Youths are waiting for farms in phase three since phase one and two are occupied by the aged,” he said.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)