estimates soya beans production to be 2000-5000 metric tonnes per year against domestic demand of 12,000 metric tonnes. In order to cut on importation costs, companies like Promidisor and Bidco are buying from local farmers at good rate of between Sh90-120 per kiloFarmers can now access a new high yielding rust tolerant soy bean variety at their doorstep by ordering the seed from MFARGO farmers group which delivers the seeds to farmers via courier services.

The Vihiga based company is selling a kilo of seeds at Sh190 per kilo with one acre of land requiring 20kg.

According to the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), the informal sector in Kenya accounts for about 60-70 per cent of most seeds planted by farmers across the country. These seeds are usually uncertified as they are produced at farm level or borrowed from other farmers therefore denying growers the chance to maximize yields in their farms. The hardest hit areas include western Kenya and the Rift Valley regions, which form a bulk of Kenya’s bread basket.

“With the SC Saga variety farmers can harvest between 1500 to 2000kg per acre double the existing varieties such as Namsoy 4M, Nyala, Black Hawk and Gazelle which yield between 600 to 1000 kilos. The variety is also resistant to rust - a disease that cuts the country’s production by a third annually,” said Dick Morgan, an agronomist at MFARGO.

 It has a high oil content and pod clearance, larger seeds than ordinary types and is good for intercropping as it fixes nitrogen in the soil.

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The International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) estimates soya beans production to be 2000-5000 metric tonnes per year against domestic demand of 12,000 metric tonnes. In order to cut on importation costs, companies like Promidisor and Bidco are buying from local farmers Sh90-120 per kilo with MFARGO connecting more than 930 farmers to these markets.

MFARGO can be reached on +254 518 753