Smallholder farmers in Taita Taveta are being encouraged to take up cultivation of oil crops, ensuring that local and international markets are ready for the huge unmet demand.
Taita Taveta agriculture executive Eric Kyongo said oil crops are drought tolerant and adaptable to many ecological zones, but Kenya currently produces less than 50 per cent of what is needed. .
“Kenyan oil producers are suffering from huge deficits in the production of sunflower, canola, soybean and linseed,” he said.
“Major edible oil producers rely on importing sunflower and soybean from other countries such as Uganda and Tanzania to meet high processing demands.”
Mr Kyongo said the county government had identified a sunflower value chain to promote local edible oil production.
“Sunflowers are good for most farmers because they don’t need a lot of rain, they don’t need a lot of fertilizer, they don’t need a lot of produce,” he said.
Researchers say sunflowers grow best in areas with sparse rainfall, and the soil should be slightly acidic, with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5.
Two main categories of sunflowers are grown in this country: hybrid varieties and open pollinated varieties (OPV).
Several hybrid varieties such as Mammoth, Sunbeam, Autumn Beauty, Kenya Feda and Teddy Bear are grown in different regions of the country and take up to four months to mature.
Hybrid varieties of sunflowers are preferred because of their high oil content and superior yields averaging 25 bags per acre. Open-pollinated varieties have the advantage that the seeds can be recycled four times.
“We are in touch with farmers who are willing to grow sunflowers and are assuring them that the market is ready. We want to increase the number of people,” Kyongo said.
He said farmers in the county were facing mono-crop problems, which led to the spread of diseases and pests, resulting in reduced farm productivity and profitability.
Mr Kyong'o urged farmers to compare the profitability of sunflower and maize.
He said sunflowers have proven to be more profitable compared to corn grown on the same amount of land.
Kyongo said the county government plans to distribute about 15 tonnes of sunflower seeds. Farmers in Taveta district will receive 4 tonnes.
He said the seeds will be planted on 1,300 acres in Taveta and are expected to produce about 700 kg per acre and about 700 tonnes per harvest.
The Taita Taveta government, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization, installed a thermohydraulic press in Mahandakini. The aim is to facilitate the processing of products and promote sunflower cultivation in the county.
According to Kyongo, a liter of processed sunflower oil costs Sh350.
He said one tonne of harvest can produce about 159,000 liters to fill the demand gap for edible oil.
According to data from the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), Kenya's edible oil imports are increasing at an annual rate of 15% due to increased local demand.
Mr Kyongo said the county government will invite relevant departments such as public health, Kenya Bureau of Standards and Kenya Revenue Authority to educate farmers on standards and health requirements to ensure the final product is suitable for human consumption. He said it was planned.
Onesimus Mushoki, a sunflower farmer and leader of Mahandakini Agricultural Cooperative, said they are working to ensure that every sunflower farmer has at least one acre of sunflower cultivation.
He praised the county government, FAO and the Department of Agriculture for providing sunflower seeds to farmers and donating thermo-hydraulic presses.
Mushoki said the machine will not only serve residents but also sunflower farmers in other districts.
“I was relieved because I had to travel all the way to Tanzania to process sunflower seeds, which was expensive to transport,” he said.
Apart from sunflower oil, by-products such as sunflower cake are in high demand and have a ready market as animal feed.
Farmers can earn more by incorporating value addition into their enterprises compared to selling raw seeds.
Mahandakini farmer Jane Musoki said that since she started growing sunflowers, she has earned more income than when she was growing maize and beans.
She called on the government to provide farm inputs and more machinery to process sunflowers.
Mr Musoki also called on the county government to ensure that its efforts are not wasted by cartels interfering with agricultural prices.
“We are pleading with the county and national government to provide agricultural inputs and more machinery, as well as regular training for farmers on how to handle post-harvest processes to avoid losses. “We are appealing to people to become more knowledgeable and aware of their concerns,” she said.
