Members of Wazee Hukumbuka Cooperative Society - majorly comprising retired former civil servants with about 600 members in Aboke, West Ugenya Ward, Ugenya Subcounty have each made a commitment to grow at least half an acre of sunflower to help handle or overcome the high cooking oil prices in our markets today.
Thanks to a research project by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST), they have acquired an oil processing machine with a capacity of processing 3 tonnes of sunflower seeds per day. This means that on a good day, they make KES. 180,000 from selling 600 litres of cooking oil and even make more from selling the seed cake to fish and livestock feeds processors at KES. 35/= per Kg.
According to their Chairperson, Mr. William Opondo, members have a million reasons to stick to the group because they make money from their hard earned sunflower products coupled up with their normal chama system and that in fact, their membership has also attracted participation of the youth in the sunflower value chain in recent times.
While paying a visit to the Cooperative Society for a discussion on how their efforts can be complemented and supported by the Department of Agriculture further, the CECM for Agriculture, Food Security, Livestock & Blue Economy - Hon. K'Okoth Sylvestre encouraged the members of management Committee and the larger community to register as sunflower farmers so that the Government can effectively and accurately plan for support services including extension, quality seeds and fertilizer. This will ensure that they employ good agronomic practices, increase acreages under sunflower production, reduce production costs and enhance their productivity by over 50%.
"In partnership with the National Government through Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), last season we supported sunflower farmers with 16,350 Kgs of seeds to facilitate the process of realizing over 19,000 acres of land under production. While more seeds and fertilizer are expected to be distributed in the coming days, this support alone can ensure we produce about 15,000 metric tons of sunflower which translates to 1.2 billion of revenue annually," K'Okoth said.
Under the leadership of Governor James Orengo, the Nyalore Administration is driving an ambitious transformation of Siaya County's agricultural sector, shifting from low-value subsistence farming to thriving commercial agribusiness. Central to this vision is the distribution of fertilizers and high-quality seeds, including sunflower, rice, maize, and cotton, to enable farmers to diversify their crops and improve yields.
The administration is also focused on supporting mechanization through the provision of subsidized tractor services, which aim to reduce the cost of ploughing and increase efficiency in land preparation. These efforts are designed to lift output, enhance food security, and open new income streams for local farmers by enabling them to engage in value-added agriculture through the existing value chains. Through these initiatives, Siaya County is poised to become a hub for sustainable agribusiness, with improved access to markets and better livelihoods for its residents.