Agriculture CEC Edwin Seroney today presided over the official opening of a Field Day on groundnuts and drought tolerant cereals and legumes project field day at Kapkayo, Soy South Ward in Keiyo South Sub County.
The Field Day, which aimed at linking farmers to new innovations, attracted several partners and farmers who were taken through morden farming methods, which include value addition for higher returns.
He urged the stakeholders to promote more value chains such as pigeon peas, sorghum, sunflower, and greengrams, among others, which earn farmers high returns.
Mr Seroney asked the farmers to appraise themselves with the new farming technologies which include use of certified seeds, which according to him, had negatively impacted crop production. Groundnut farming was identified as the main crop that can do well in the region.
“Under a good management, farmers especially in Kerio Valley can produce up to 35 bags. We encourage our farmers across the seven Wards to venture into groundnuts production. There is market,” he said.
He added that a private entrepreneur who has been sourcing groundnuts from as far as Malawi was ready to open shop in Kapkayo.
Dr Paul Kimurto from Egerton University said he was encouraged to see how farmers in Kerio Valley had shifted from subsistence farming to commercial farming for groundnuts.
Present also was Baringo CEC Agriculture, Livestock Development and Fisheries Risper Chepkonga and other staff from Agriculture Department.