Governor Orengo Negotiates for Thousands of Kilos of Cotton Seeds for Siaya

By Eric Omwombo 

Siaya Governor James Aggrey Bob Orengo’s negotiation strategy has bore fruits with department for trade and industry donating 1125 Kilograms of BT cotton seeds to be planted on 6000 acres of land.

The state department for industry has bought 1125 kilograms of BT cotton meant to benefit Siaya residents.

Through the linkages with the office of the president, another 1000 kilograms of cotton seed from Togo , West Africa was given to department of Agriculture for multiplication purposes.

According to the Industry Principal Secretary Juma Mukhwana, we ha not tested the Togo cotton seed here in Siaya that’s why we dont want it distributed to famers.

Siaya is our priority and so far BT seeds we have delivered to famers is enough to plant to 6000 acres though Siaya have 7000 acres of cotton.

In 2022, we were only doing 5000 acres of cotton and last year it increased to 40,000 acres.

“We now target 103000 acres of cotton plantation across the country,” he added
, Mukhwana said once they hit a 300000 acres of cotton plantation, they will now think of spinning and weaving,” he added
He added that seeds that can cover 6000 acres of land is readily available.

He also revealed that the government was committed towards reviving the cotton ginneries in the country adding that the Lwanda ginnery was revived by the department of cooperative and they are doing another one in Kwale so Siaya case is with us and it shall be determined following the existence averages under production of cotton.
“I want the county government to do a letter showing acreages of land in Siaya so that we engage donors especially the UK government for the support.

The PS cooperative Patrick Kiburi urged Orengo to mobilize the famers to join cooperative movements.

We want to aggregate the farmers into cooperative so that when do a ginnery, they own it. It will also see farmers organized in a visible economic unit,” said Kiburi.

We have a legacy issues in the way the cooperative it’s being managed and that headache is prominent in Nyanza to the extent of members losing trust and confidence in the movement.

It is our responsibility to earn the trust of the farmers in terms of how they manage the cooperatives and we have a bill to that effect.
“We need a law so that as much as we trust these people with cooperative, there should be a mechanism to deal with them Incase they mess up and we want governors support on the same,” he added.

The PS said the prices for the cotton has increased from Sh 52 to Sh 65 and now 72, a price that was decided by President William Ruto.
Orengo who attended the meeting with Siaya Speaker George Okode, County Secretary Joseph Ogutu, Trade Executive Grace Agola, Agriculture executive Silvester K’Okoth welcomed the idea to revive cotton growing in Siaya.

Orengo said that Siaya was a key producer of cotton but it went dormant after cotton boards was created.

“The cotton boards frustrated farmers to an extent of waiting longer for payments after delivering the produce” said Orengo.

He father asked the CS and the delegation to visit Ndere ginnery that lies in a 20 acres of land and Madiany Ginnery in Rarieda.
Indians used to gin Cotton here in Ndere and it sits in a 20 acres of land while Madiany’s ginnery is smaller but we have a lot of cotton growing activities there.

We appeal for the state support towards establishing of a ginnery in Siaya even if it requires co-funding it” said Orengo.

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