Kenya’s pyrethrum production is climbing rapidly, up 81 per cent in just five years, to 1.68MT last year, and now earning farmers half a billion shillings a year as they move back into the once-dying agriculture sub-sector.
In 2023 the amount of land that farmers put under pyrethrum more than doubled from the previous year to reach 9,362 acres. This is being driven by the Ministry of Agriculture’s intervention which aims to revitalise Kenya’s dying pyrethrum production which has fallen by over 56 per cent since 1983 by ensuring farmers are paid on time and according to pyrethrin content which is measured at the farm level. The improvement of the seeds farmers use through a seedling purchase and distribution program which has delivered millions of free high-yielding hybrid seedlings. It also invests in increased value addition through the distribution of solar dryers so farmers can dry their pyrethrum which doubles their pay.
According to Danish NGO DanChurchAid, because of its perfect climate for pyrethrum farming, Kenya can produce 20,000 tonnes of pyrethrum every year earning farmers more than 880,000 farmers Sh9.6 billion and the country Sh7.48 billion in foreign exchange from pyrethrin alone. In the 1990s around 220,000 Kenyan farmers produced 18,000 tonnes of pyrethrum a year– 80 per cent of the world’s demand– which was valued at Sh20 billion.
One decade later, production had fallen to just 24.8 tonnes and earnings had gone down to just 4.4 million or less than 0.2 per cent of previous levels
The main culprit for this was farmers exiting pyrethrum farming in the early 2000s after they were left unpaid by the Pyrethrum Board of Kenya (PBK). Most of this money was either stolen or mismanaged by PBK which was also rocked by administrative failures and was the only entity permitted to trade in pyrethrum.
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Disillusioned, most farmers abandoned the crop in favour of more profitable horticulture and dairy farming. This exit also coincided with the rise of synthetic alternatives to pyrethrum.
To woo farmers back the government-owned Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya (PPCK) which receives 30 tons of dry pyrethrum from farmers every month has increased its purchasing price from Sh100 to Sh250-750 depending on the pyrethrin content. The profitability of pyrethrum is largely pegged on the pyrethrin content of the dry flowers. The higher the pyrethrins, the higher the buying price. Previously, processors could determine the pyrethrin content without consulting farmers which provided an opportunity for maleficence. Now, processors are required to come up with measures that ensure pyrethrin
content is known at the farm level with the full involvement of farmers.
The Ministry of Agriculture has also distributed 15,000 tons of free pyrethrum seeds and seedlings to farmers. “One acre of farmland would have cost farmers Sh60,000 to fill with hybrid seedlings. Now that initial cost is being taken away from farmers,” said Government Spokesman Isaac Mwaura.
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Hybrid pyrethrum gives farmers more yields, is able to better withstand harsh weather conditions, and has a higher pyrethrin content which means more money in farmers’ pockets.
To further improve farmer’s earnings and also reduce post-harvest losses, the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) and private players such as DanChurchAid have distributed more than 64 modern solar dryers which will be used by thousands of farmers. Properly dried flowers earn farmers a minimum of Sh230 a kilogram and depending on the pyrethrin content farmers get additional payment.
AFA’s Pyrethrum Directorate has also worked to build up the knowledge of county extension officers over the last 12 months and they are now better able to guide farmers. These extension workers sharpen the skills of farmers by introducing them to new pyrethrum varieties, and drying technologies. The solar dryers which are in use by farmers in Nakuru, Nyandarua & Bomet and West Pokot can dry up to 288 kilograms of freshly harvested pyrethrum flowers in one go.
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Acknowledging that a lack of farmer representation in the Pyrethrum Board of Kenya led to the savaging of the country’s pyrethrum industry, the new pyrethrum board is made up of majority pyrethrum producers who will be the representatives of the interests of the crop’s growers and processors.
To reduce competition from cheap synthetic pesticides imported into Kenya, the policy developed by KALRO and the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project also calls for the hiking of import duty on synthetic aerosols and the removal of Value-Added Tax on imports used for processing pyrethrum.
Lastly, the policy measures urge the inclusion of Tripple Super Phosphate as a subsidised fertilisers to improve farm production.
Photo Courtesy: County Government of Nakuru