The government is working on a plan to reduce the cost of animal and chicken feeds in a bid to improve benefits for farmers, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said.
Speaking on Monday, the DP said the government was in consultation with the feed manufacturers to explore options that would see a reduction in the prices.
“In the spirit of consultation that we have adopted as a Government, the Ministry of Agriculture will work with the manufacturers to develop an actionable and verifiable plan on making the feeds affordable to our farmers,” he said.
DP Gachagua spoke when he held discussions with representatives of the Association of Kenya Feed Manufacturers (AKEFEMA) at Harambee House Annex.
Gachagua said the high cost of feeds had contributed to costly farm products making them less competitive in the market.
He reiterated the Kenya Kwanza government’s commitment to making farming more productive.
Gachagua said the Kenya Kwanza Administration is keen on making farming beneficial to manufacturers and farmers and that the best way to do it is to reduce the cost of production.
The DP said they had discussed ways to make livestock and chicken farming more competitive by reducing the cost of feeds which has often contributed to the expensive farm products.
The proposals will be tabled before the Cabinet for consideration.
This is one of the interventions the government is pursuing in order to make farming lucrative once again and ultimately cut the cost of living.
Already, farmers have received subsidized fertilizers for the coming planting season, Rigathi said.
