By Arnold Ageta
The Nyamira County governor has issued cheques worth KES 20 million to 20 SACCOs to enable members to access affordable credit and sustainable financing in the agriculture sector.
In his speech, Governor Amos Nyaribo said he is determined to revitalize agriculture to enable farmers to earn more through value addition across various value chains.
The governor, who was represented by CECM for Trade Bernard Maina, issued the grant cheques to the SACCOs from the 20 wards in Nyamira.
“Through this grant, our SACCOs have received vital support in infrastructure, governance, and capacity building that has enabled members to mobilize savings, extend affordable credit, and provide a solid foundation for Agripreneurship. We are empowering and renewing our commitment to strengthening agriculture,” Governor Nyaribo said.
Mr. Maina stated that the Trade Department has put mechanisms in place to address governance issues in SACCOs and cooperatives for farmers to benefit.
He added that SACCOs and cooperatives collapse because of a lack of transparency and accountability, which demoralizes farmers.
“We cannot continue selling our produce as individuals. Let’s form and join cooperatives in order to get better prices for our crops. Join cooperatives so that we are able to support you better,” he added.
CECM for Agriculture Dr. Peris Mong’are said value addition is the future of better returns for farmers.
Through this, she added, cooperators will realize more income through such strong SACCOs.
Mr. Dennis Singori, the chairman of Township Tenya Community Sacco, welcomed the grant, saying this is the start-up fund for them to begin offering loan services to members.
He said the SACCOs were initiated by the county government in collaboration with the National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP) and are now under The National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP).
NARIGP’s objective was to increase agricultural productivity and profitability, leading to improved livelihoods and reduced vulnerabilities of targeted rural communities in selected counties.
NAVCDP, which is funded by the World Bank (WB), focuses on transforming smallholder farmers across 33 counties in Kenya from subsistence to commercial farming through increased value addition and market participation.
Mr. Singori said the SACCO is serving agribusiness farmers in Township Ward to embrace agriculture as a business as they plan to venture into value addition of their farm produce.
“The government will double the amount in grants of the amount the SACCO will have saved in a given period, which will again boost the financial muscle not only for Township Tenya Sacco but also for all the SACCOs in the county,” he said.
Township Tenya Sacco has a membership of 150 farmers and seeks to recruit even more farmers so they can take advantage of the cheap loans that will be offered by the SACCO.
“Those who are within Township are welcome to join us so that we grow together financially as a group to improve our farming activities and our lives,” he added. “Our SACCO is trying to eradicate poverty for small-hold farmers in the ward.”
The SACCO also has 9 common interest groups, which have more than 20 members each.
“These grants are just the beginning of great things in store ahead for SACCOs in the county, as the county government strives to ensure the SACCOs grow both financially and in value addition processes,” CECM Oroko concluded.
