Farmers urged to diversify to tobacco

FARMERS should consider diversifying to the growing of tobacco if they are to maximise the potential the sector offers and increase their income.

A farmer from the Eastern Province, Mr Martin Malumo, said the crop was among the best paying crops on the international market and challenged the farmers to consider investing in the crop.

Mr. Malumo said the challenge farmers were facing with the price of maize was because the farmers had neglected other crops and concentrated on the production of maize hence affecting the price due to market forces.

Speaking in an interview with the Daily Nation, he said the farmers would make maize more marketable by producing other crops to increase the demand and the price.

“The reason we continue complaining over the price of maize is because most farmers have made the crop a propriety hence creating a challenge when it comes to pricing, we as farmers must diversify and make this sector competitive,” Mr Malumo said.

He said while Government set the agriculture sector as a priority sector for economic development, this was only attainable if the farmers embraced other crops.

Mr Malumo explained that although the perception by farmers was that tobacco was a difficult crop to grow, the reality was that the labour was rewarding due to the high price the crop fetched.

He noted that to improve the agriculture sector, the government should advise farmers to engage in the production of more rewarding crops like tobacco.

“The priority of every farmer should be to make money and whatever crop makes brings in the extra cash regardless of the labour intensity should be taken up,” Mr Malumo said.

He said agriculture had the potential to contribute to the growth of the economy if the farmers were ready to take up risks.