Community members and farmers in Kasipul Kabondo constituency in Homabay County have been urged to engage in farming and focus on agri-business.
Speaking during the launch of a farmers agricultural corporation branch in Oyugis town, Kasipul Kabondo MP, Joseph Oyungi Magwanga called on farmers to invest in large scale farming with the sole aim of making profits.
He said that with the good soil and adequate rainfall in the region, the area has immense potential to not only produce enough food for itself, but also feed the entire Homabay County.
He noted that with the right investments and input allocation, Kasipul Kabondo can once again become a food hub for South Nyanza region as it was in the 80’s.
The MP also took time to condemn what he termed as the dependency habit of importing food from Kisii, regretting that Homabay County is wasting thousands of shillings which would otherwise be used to enhance the county’s growth.
Magwanga also called on the youth to fully embrace and invest in agriculture as a way of empowering themselves instead of only relying on white collar jobs.
“I would like to encourage the youth to start engaging in small agricultural projects, which with good management may expand to greater business ventures”, he said.
Magwanga’ sentiments were echoed by Agricultural Finance Corporation Managing Director; Lucas Meso, who urged youths not to shun away from agriculture but instead enroll with the Vijana Kilimo accounts offered by AFC.
Meso noted that under the programme, youths who are interested in agri-business are financed to purchase a piece of land where they can start their farming venture.
He encouraged farmers to take advantage of the Agricultural Finance Corporation loans services as it’s the only financial institution that offers loans to farmers at the lowest rate of 10%.
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