- The theme of this year’s show is 'Promoting climate smart agriculture and trade initiatives for sustainable economic growth.'
- The exhibitors have been assured of adequate water supply from the existing wells and boreholes within the showground premises.
Image: MATHEWS NDANYI
The Eldoret National Agricultural Society of Kenya Show is set to bounce back with President William Ruto expected to grace the event from March 1 to 4.
The government plans to use the event to outline more strategies to boost food production in the region.
Susan Seron, chairperson of ASK Eldoret branch, said expectations are high this year after various challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in the previous years resulted in low numbers of exhibitors.
“We already have more than 100 exhibitors on the ground compared to less than 50 last year,” she said, adding that this will be the first year that the show will go back to normalcy after the pandemic period.
The theme of this year’s show is 'Promoting climate smart agriculture and trade initiatives for sustainable economic growth.'
“We are expecting exhibitors from other countries including Rwanda, Seron said.
The exhibitors have been assured of adequate water supply from the existing wells and boreholes within the showground premises as well as a subsidised water supply from the Eldoret Water and Sanitation Company.
Uasin Gishu Agriculture and Agribusiness chief officer Elijah Koech who visited the showground said preparations are almost complete. He said the show will provide training opportunities for several new technologies in climate-smart farming.
“We want to make our farmers engage in climate-smart farming. This will enable farmers not to depend on rainfall,” the chief officer said.
Livestock chief officer Nickson Cheplong said new livestock breeds will be exhibited.
"We shall also demonstrate how to develop quality pasture," Cheplong said. He said availability of quality animal feed is a major challenge for farmers, adding that during the event, farmers will also be introduced to a new grass variety that contains up to 18 per cent proteins.
More farmers in the region continue to visit the National Cereals and Produce Board to redeem their vouchers for the fertiliser subsidy programme ahead of the planting season.
Uasin Gishu Agriculture executive Edward Sawe said more than 100,000 farmers have so far been registered with more than 200,000 bags of fertiliser already collected in the county.
Sawe has assured farmers that all the NCPB stores across the county are well stocked with the fertilisers and asked those that have not yet redeemed to do so ahead of the planting season.
He said the county was currently working with NCPB and the Kenya National Trading Cooperation to finalise a plan that will allow the fertilisers to be delivered at county stores.
Sawe exuded confidence that farmers will this year register for the subsidised fertilisers and increase their crop production.
Farmers have been recording an average production of 18 bags per acre, but the Agriculture executive says with the right quantity of fertiliser applied, production can increase to at least 25 bags of maize per acre.
The county is projecting that at least 300,000 acres of land will be under maize this planting season.
(edited by Amol Awuor)