Murang’a: Sorghum farmers in Murang’a have lauded the partnership between the county government and East African Breweries Limited (EABL) in an effort to boost returns on investment. We caught up with The Green Life women group in Gikindu, who were happily chanting traditional planting songs, sorghum seeds in one hand and a planting stick in the other.
According to Kenya News Agency, Christine Wambui, the group’s youthful chairperson, observes that they chose to specialize in sorghum farming as the crop is easy to manage, and with the county government’s partnership, their lives are bound to change. “We used to grow sorghum individually, but the returns were minimal as our bargaining power was low, and that is why we decided to purchase a farm and grow the crop collectively as a group,” she said.
She added that growing sorghum is easy as it requires little maintenance and less startup capital, and can be grown by the young, middle-aged, and even the retired individuals. Wambui notes that they grow the sorgh
um organically as is required by the Kenya Breweries for producing quality alcoholic beverages.
Wambui avers that the partnership will also eliminate brokers who have been taking advantage of the farmers by buying the crop at Sh22 per kilogram. EABL will buy the crop at Sh48 per kilogram. Echoing similar sentiments, Mary Wambui, another farmer, says that they expect a bountiful harvest in three months, which will positively impact their lives economically and socially.
Initially, they would grow the crop without technical support, but now they have been provided with quality seeds from KARLO, which will yield high returns as its management requires low cost, and it is a fast-maturing crop. The farmers note that their main challenge is the invasion of monkeys, but they are trying to counter it by burning pepper and cow dung to deter the invaders. They urge the county government to provide a permanent solution to the menace.
EABL Director Joel Kimani confirms that they have partnerships with all the county g
overnments where sorghum is grown to ensure the production of standard quality crops. “We have 45,000 farmers across the country who give us a reliable supply of 60,000 tonnes of sorghum every year,” he says. EABL also provides extension services to the farmers by providing farm inputs and other support so that the farmers can produce and make maximum yields of sorghum per acre grown.