Farmers to be issued with 2.6M seedlings in two months time

Farmers across the country are set to be issued with 2.6 million seedlings comprising cashew nut, coconut, mango, macadamia, tissue banana and avocado within the next two months.

Speaking in Mombasa, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri has said the exercise will commence next week with issuance of half a million coconut and cashew nut seedlings to farmers in six coast region counties.

The Ministry says coast nut industry recovery which has remained neglected over the years will be boosted by issuing farmers with cashew nut and coconut seedlings.

Beginning next week farmers in Lamu County will be the first to receive the first batch of 300, 000 coconut seedlings as well as 200,000 cashew nut seedlings to be planted during this rainy season.

CS Kiunjuri says the seedlings are part of 2.6 Million seedlings set to be distributed across the country to supplement farmers’ output in the avocado, macadamia, banana and mango yields.

Kiunjuri says the government will further distribute 4 million seedlings during the short rains, yields that will eventually boost Kenya’s export market.

Meanwhile, Trade CS Peter Munya says the government has halted temporarily the exportation of avocadoes to the China Market following the infestation of pests.

Munya says the government is investing in refrigeration machinery that will preserve the product to the markets liking before export.

Speaking in Mombasa, he further supported NEMAs ban on selected vehicle spare parts, saying their continued use has delivered unwanted vehicles along the roads.