I have switched from the conventional wheat variety and adopted the high-yielding variety in order to improve my yields, Kiptalam said.
With the Kenya Wren wheat variety, Kiptalam hopes to harvest at least eight metric tons per hectare as compared to four metric tons with conventional ones.
Data from the Ministry of Agriculture indicate that local farmers produce about 350,000 metric tons of wheat annually against an annual consumption of 900,000 metric tons.
The country imports from Russia and Ukraine to address the shortfall in domestic production.
Anthony Kioko, CEO of Cereal Growers Association (CGA), said that local farmers are unable to compete with imported wheat because of their high cost of production. Now the country is encouraging farmers to embrace new wheat varieties with high yields.
THE STANDARD By
Daniel Wesangula |
January 9th 2021 at 00:00:00 GMT +0300
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THE STANDARD By
Daniel Wesangula |
January 9th 2021 at 00:00:00 GMT +0300
Martin Evans (in white shirt), the owner of Olmaisor farm with his son Matt Evans. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]
A drive between Mombasa and Malaba would be incomplete without seeing a long-haul lorry slapped with the word Rongai across its face.
For years, the logo was so popular that a generation of residents living along this great thoroughfare thought that Rongai was the make of the vehicles.
But behind the name lies a story of chance and persistence that has outlived the company’s founder. Rongai Workshop and Transport Limited now boasts one of the largest fleets and automotive workshops in the country.