Coast farmers to get 500,000 cashew, coconut seedlings

The national government has donated 500,000 cashew nut and coconut seedlings to local farmers.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri said this was part of the Government's wider plan to distribute six million quality seedlings for various crops to farmers across the country.

Kiunjuri, who spoke at a local hotel on Friday, said this was part of President Uhuru Kenyatta's plan to attain food security pillar of the Big Four Agenda.

The CS said farmers across the country will receive coconut, cashew nuts, macadamia, mango and avocado among other seedlings, according to crops grown in their regions.

At the Coast, farmers will benefit from over 300,000 cashew nut and 200,000 coconut seedlings as the Government moves to revive the cashew nut and coconut industries that collapsed decades ago.

“We are happy to report during this rainy season, we will distribute over 2.6 million seedlings for various crops and during the short rains in October, November and December, we will distribute another four million seedlings,” Kiunjuri said.

The CS said some of the seedlings are at various stages of development.

At the Coast, the seedlings are produced at a Government farm in Mtwapa, under the Agriculture Food Authority, and in Bura, Tana River County, under the National Irrigation Board.

“The best way to ensure the common mwananchi benefits from Government is through this kind of intervention,” said Kiunjuri.