Digitise farming to fight hunger, urges President Uhuru
Milliam Murigi and PSCU
President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged stakeholders in the agriculture sector to embrace technology if they want to fight food insecurity.
Speaking during the opening of the 118th Nairobi International Trade Fair, he said the government plans to digitise the industry to ensure that problems which have been lagging the industry behind are solved.
“We are banking on the newly launched e-receipt warehousing to reduce our post-harvest losses since with poor storage that is why we are losing a lot of our produce,” said the President.
Apart from e-receipt warehousing, he also said they are reforming the subsidised fertiliser programme to ensure that fertiliser gets to the right farmers and farmers get the right fertiliser for their region.
The President said the government is undertaking measures to ensure that a new generation of farmers emerge to sustain the agricultural sector.
The President said there is need to ensure the sustainability of the agricultural sector by encouraging the participation of the nation’s youth through technology and innovation.
Livestock auction
On economy, President Uhuru said Kenya’s economic growth potential is limitless and urged both local and foreign investors to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the improving ease of doing business.
“Join us and reap the rewards of a vibrant economy; characterised by innovation and technology that builds upon a tradition of strong and stable macroeconomic framework as the basis for sustainable current and future growth in agriculture, trade and other economic sectors,” he said.
Before his address, Uhuru ,who was taken around various exhibition stands, also inspected the ongoing construction of the Jamhuri Park Expo and Conference Centre.
He also presided over the auctioning of livestock where the supreme and reserve supreme champion cross breed bulls each weighing 630 kg from Kenya Seed Company were auctioned at Sh800,000 each.
The champion boran cow weighing 550 kg also from Kenya Seed was sold at Sh690,000 while another boran bull from the Agricultural Development Corporation was auctioned at Sh410,000.
Those who addressed the event included National Chairperson of the Agricultural Society of Kenya Annabella Kiriinya, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri, and Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko who said his administration was revamping retail markets in the city to empower small-holder traders.
