By Moses Punyuah, Nairobi
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has called on national and county governments to embrace private sector participation as a key driver of agricultural growth and enterprise development.
Speaking during the Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani Agricultural Revitalisation Summit in Malindi, Kagwe said reliance on public funding alone has yielded limited success, citing stalled government-run projects.
“Expecting money from the exchequer to help us in enterprise doesn’t really work. We must allow private capital and innovation to drive agricultural growth,” Kagwe said.
He pointed to the cashew nut, sugar and Galana-Kulalu projects as examples that only showed progress after private sector involvement, adding:
“There is a government cashew nut factory here in Kilifi that is not working, yet private factories are thriving.”
The CS also warned against uncontrolled land subdivision, saying it threatens food security and commercial farming.
“Large, consolidated farms are critical for mechanisation, investment and building a resilient agricultural economy,” he noted.
The summit also heard calls for digital transformation of agriculture, with leaders urging adoption of technology to boost productivity, market access and climate resilience across t
he Coast region.
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