Uasin Gishu County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Mr. Edwards Sawe, on Wednesday, hosted a delegation from the Agricultural and Food Authority (AFA) Directorate of Nuts and Edible Oil to discuss possible ways of improving edible oil farming in the county.

The visit was led by Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) Deputy Director Edible Oil and Nuts, Lilly Lang’at, to see them discuss ways they can assist farmers in achieving their goal of cultivating 20,000 acres of sunflower and attaining self-sufficiency in edible oils through large-scale farming.

Lagat stated that they were in Uasin Gishu County in response to a presidential directive that farmers should be supported in edible oil farming

She said that the organization is committed to supporting Uasin Gishu farmers by providing them with a sunflower oil extracting machine, as well as 30 metric tons of sunflower seeds, all free of charge.

During the meeting, CECM Sawe expressed his gratitude for the support from the AFA Directorate of Nuts and Edible Oil.

Sawe said with the aid of the sunflower oil extracting machine, farmers will be able to efficiently process their sunflower crops, extracting high-quality oil for both domestic consumption and commercial purposes.

“Value addition is a key aspect of this collaboration. By providing farmers with the necessary tools and resources, farmers will be able to add value to their products, thereby increasing their income and contributing to the economic growth of the county”, said Sawe.

He highlighted the importance of sunflower farming in the county, stating that it has the potential to not only boost the local economy but also contribute to the nation’s food security.

The sunflower oil extracted from these crops can be further refined and packaged, creating a marketable product that can fetch higher prices.

Director Agriculture Reuben Seroney on his part said that the collaboration between Uasin Gishu County and the AFA Directorate of Nuts and Edible Oil is expected to provide the necessary support and technical expertise to achieve the county’s sunflower farming goals.

Seroney said that these initiatives will equip farmers with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively manage their sunflower farms, ensuring optimum yields and sustainable farming practices.

“By encouraging sunflower farming, Uasin Gishu County also promotes diversification of high value crops such as Avocado, macadamia, tissue culture bananas coffee among others to cusion farmers on over reliance of one crop” said Seroney.