CS Felix Koskei: Shortage of experts impeding innovation

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei has said shortage of agricultural experts has affected uptake of new farming methods and diversification.

Koskei claimed that agricultural officers at the national and county level are aging and therefore there is need to have more to support the sector.

He said there are no lab experts in the field and those who are aging are not being replaced, creating a vacuum that can be filled by able young men to improve agriculture.

"Their average age is about 55. Three, four or five years to come, they will not be able to give expertise," said Koskei.

The concern comes even as new industries continue to crop up such as the first fertiliser factory in Eldoret and a semen factory for artificial insemination in Sotik.

The CS said though the sector is the largest contributor to Kenya’s Gross Development Product, the country was not producing enough food for its people.

He urged students to take up agricultural-related courses such as veterinary livestock production, horticulture and aquaculture, noting this will help in the planned paradigm shift from subsistence to commercial farming.

Speaking at a prayer day at Chemelil Sugar Academy in Kisumu County, Koskei also stressed on other areas of specialisation such as farm, industrial and chemical engineers to transform the sector technologically.

He said these areas are lucrative in agriculture, adding this will offer an avenue for absorption of many jobless students who have graduated.

Koskei said the transformation of the sector is evident and that the national government is keen to look at the entire value chain, from production up to the retail point. 

MONEY LENDING

"This would cushion the world at large, which is currently suffering because people are not interested in agriculture, especially the youth," he said.

"We want to help our youth to have an interest in agriculture and make finance credits available for them," Koskei added.

He said the Government is looking into ways in which women can access land to act as a collateral while they are borrowing money.

He mentioned diversification as important, urging sugarcane farmers to practice inter-cropping, poultry keeping, rabbit keeping, aquaculture and general livestock keeping to boost their income. "This will stop over reliance on sugarcane farming that takes 18 months to mature," said Koskei.

"It will also reduce the demand on payment since other sources of revenue will be available," he added.