By Hopkin Reporter
Kitui Governor Julius Malombe is committed to promote the cotton value chain through capacity building of cooperatives on governance and business skills.
In his speech delivered by Deputy Governor Augustine Kanani added that further support by his administration will go towards extension services to boost the sector that has seen Kitui ranked position 5 in the 2022 annual cotton production status countrywide.
Agriculture comes first in Governor Malombe’s Kitui Promise. And revitalization of the sector which made history in 1990s comes at a time when the world is under severe cotton shortage. Globally, world cotton trade is 48.7 million bales (2022/23) and is expected to rise to 53 million bales in ten years.
In Kenya, cotton is considered as an enabler in industrialization, employment creator, and improved rural livelihoods under the Vision 2030, Industrialization Strategy and Agriculture Sector Growth and Transformation Strategy (ASGTS). Cotton was once one of Kenya’s main foreign exchange earner, but production declined in the 1990s following sector liberalization and the collapse of the vertically integrated system for input supply, including seeds, ginning, extension, and seed cotton buying.
Kanani added that, “The Kitui County Integrated Plan (CIDP) 2023-2027, which we launched a week ago, prioritizes cotton production as one of the viable value chains in the county.”
To enhance its production and productivity, the County government intends to promote the crop and support cotton farmers with extension services, farm inputs, subsidized tractor ploughing, market linkages and value addition.In his part, Mr Nobby encouraged Kitui farmers to register with the national government farmer registration exercise underway in order to assist in creating a database to enable the government do proper planning.
Kitui County Cotton Farmers Cooperative Society representative Mr Francis Mutunga could not hide his joy as he congratulated Governor Malombe’s administration for reviving his fond memories of 1969, when he as a young boy, the sector was thriving.
“Cotton was all over what was then called Kitui District. Most of us went to school from cotton income. But as cotton prices went down and more pests and diseases started infiltrating the cotton crop, it became labor intensive and profits went down. But today Governor Malombe, God bless you for remembering cotton farmers in Kitui County and bringing seeds to us this early. We are only requesting for hybrid seeds, extension services, early seed distribution like today, agrochemicals and mechanization of the process to make it more profitable.” Said Mutunga.
Kanani was flanked by County CECMS Mr Reuben Itiko of Roads, Transport and Bodaboda, Mr Kimanga of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms Rose Mutuku of Trade, Industry, MSMEs, Innovations and Cooperatives, Joyce Titus of Education and Dr. Kimwele Mbaya of Agriculture and Livestock.
Other key sector players present were Moses Banda, Financial Advisor to the President, Kitui Ginnery manager Taher Zavery, Thika Clothmills Managing Director Tejal Dodhia, Sinior Government Officials from Agriculture and Food Authority Kenya, representatives of the County Commissioner among others.
The County government is expecting to distribute 27 metric tons of hart 89m cotton seeds variety and 2 metric tons of BT cotton seeds variety to at least 3000 farmers across the county.
