More than 3,000 cotton farmers in Lamu have received free pesticides from the Ministry Agriculture to help boost their yields.
Major cotton producing areas in the region are Baharini, Uziwa,Tewe and Wetemere in Mpeketoni and Witu divisions in Lamu West and also Faza Island in Lamu East.
For the past two years, cotton farmers have not been able to make any meaningful harvests owing to invasion of their farms by stubborn pests that did not respond to pesticides.
Speaking when he led the distribution exercise in Mpeketoni, Lamu West MP Stanley Muthama said the move is meant to cushion farmers from high production costs that have resulted in low output.
The MP, however, warned the farmers against selling the pesticides and instead use them for the intended purpose which is to better cotton farming in the region.
“The objective is to produce high quality cotton which will in essence guarantee maximum returns in both the local and international markets. Selling of these pesticides by beneficiaries will be very unwise, it will go against the objective of the exercise,” said Muthama.
