NAKURU; KENYA: President Uhuru Kenyatta has called upon county governments to formulate sound policies that will promote agriculture as a means of economic development in order to eradicate hunger and poverty among the rural people who depend on the sector for their livelihood. 1 inShare President Uhuru said that agriculture is the key sector of the country’s economy and what happens to the sector at the county level will have direct implications on the overall performance of the national economy. The President was speaking when he officially opened the 2013 Nakuru Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) show at Nakuru showground. The Head of State pointed out that while his Government remained committed to promotion of the agriculture sector as the backbone of the country’s economy, most agricultural activities and funding have been devolved to the counties as required under Schedule 4 of the Constitution. The President said: ”As l pledge the commitment of my Government to promote agriculture, Kenyans must bear in mind that most agricultural activities and funding have been devolved to the counties as required under Schedule 4 of the Constitution. The main responsibility of managing the sector, therefore, lies with county governments.” In this regard, the President called upon farmers and all other stakeholders to focus on moving agriculture from subsistence to commercial farming adding that through the development of a vibrant agro-based industry, the country will be able to ensure food security and attain double-digit economic growth rates. He said that this year’s show “Enhancing Technology and Industry for Food Security and National Growth” reflected on the important role technology can play in agriculture, industry and more importantly in enhancing food security. On that note, the Head of State reaffirmed his Government’s commitment in focusing on promoting technological development in agriculture as one of the take-off point towards making the country’s Vision 2030 a reality. He added: “Indeed, the theme is consistent with the Jubilee Government’s aspiration and aim of promoting agribusiness as a significant driver in the realization of Vision 2030.” To ensure farmers reaped more from their agricultural activities, President Uhuru underlined the need to transform farming enterprises from producers of primary raw materials to producers of value added products that are ready for consumption. The President noted that most farmers in the country remained producers of raw products with agriculture being largely rain-fed and therefore vulnerable to erratic weather conditions.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 20:42:30 +0000
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