Uasin Gishu County government is set to open the first ever soil testing laboratory in the county. Plans to set up the laboratory are at the advanced stage and it will soon start being in operational.
This is according to the Uasin Gishu County Agriculture, Livestock development and Fisheries CeC Dr. Ambrose Cyril Cheruiyot who said they have already purchased the Ksh. 6 million facilities for the laboratory.
“The actual laboratory has already been purchased and we are now waiting for the renovation of structure that the equipment will be housed to be completed,” said Dr. Cheruiyot.
The Agriculture County executive said the completion of the facility will enable farmers to easily and afford-ably access the soil testing services as he spoke in his office Tuesday.
“The quotations for the renovation have been done, we expect contractors to start work as early as next week,” the CeC added.
Cheruiyot said, for optimum production, farmers need to know the type of soil they have as that enables them to use the right fertilizers and with the facility in place, they will be able to get those services.
Currently a farmer has to part with about Ksh. 1, 000 to get a comprehensive soil sampling but the CeC said the facility will offer the service at half the price.
The agriculture CeC. revealed that once the renovation of the facility is completed, the laboratory will be inaugurated tested and then they will start to receive soil samples from the farmers.
He also added that the county government is targeting to have at least one high capacity store in each of the six sub counties before the end of the year.
“We already have two high capacity stores in Moiben and Sergoit and we have purposed to construct two more but if the funds allow we will construct four so that each of the sub county has a store,” said Dr. Cheruiyot.
The Uasin Gishu County Agriculture CeC said each of the stores can be able to hold up to 30,000 bags of 90 kilogram of maize.
“We want farmers to have a place where they can store their produce to reduce on post harvest losses as well as avoiding a situation where by farmers are forced to sell their maize at a throw away price,” he noted.
Construction of each of the high capacity store costs at least Ksh. 25 million.
