Pyrethrum body in drive to boost yields

By KARANJA NJOROGE

Nairobi, Kenya: The new management of the Pyrethrum Regulatory Authority (PRA) has embarked on a campaign to increase production of the crop as part of a strategy to revive the ailing sector.

PRA, formerly Pyrethrum Board of Kenya, intends to have production of the flowers increased to 2,000 metric tonnes annually in the next one year.

Newly appointed PRA Managing Director Alfred Busolo said part of his immediate priority also includes clearing unpaid farmers’ arrears totalling over Sh48 million.

“We will be asking farmers to plant the crop and we are praying that the government releases the money it has promised us so that we pay the farmers,” Busolo said.

He, however, cautioned that production should be balanced with demand to ensure there is no overproduction.

“The production should be between 12,000 to 15,000 metric tonnes and should not go beyond that to ensure we retain high prices in the international market,” Busolo explained.

New varieties of pyrethrum seedlings have been identified to help boost production.

Busolo attributed some of the woes currently facing the sector to overproduction in the 80s.