Mavuno Fertilizer, a leading model in agricultural technology for improved crop yields

ARM Cement CEO Pradeep Paunrana

The Trans Nzoia County government recently held an agricultural field day at Barak Farm where various technologies in agriculture were demonstrated, including ARM Cement’s Mavuno Fertilizer. The field day aimed to provide an opportunity for farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector to access modern farming technologies, establish business relations and promote farming business. The event was graced by the governor of Trans Nzoia, Mr. Patrick Khaemba with the Cabinet Secretary from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Hon. Felix Koskei as the guest of honour.

Trans Nzoia County known for its production of maize, noticed that the yield of maize has declined over the past year from an average of 30 bags to less than 15 bags per acre due to high levels of soil acidity. The continuous use of Dimonium Phosphate (DAP) has been cited as a major contributing factor to soil acidity. The county therefore decided to promote the use of non-acidifying fertilizers such as Mavuno Fertilizer by ARM Cement.

Speaking at the event, Trans Nzoia Governor Patrick Khaemba said, “We ask the National Government to support our initiative by including Mavuno Fertilizer in the list of the fertilizers subsidized by the National Government to meet the growing demand resulting from the awareness we have created and the expected high yields by those farmers who planted using Mavuno in the last planting season.”

ARM Cement has been working closely with agricultural experts, researchers and scientists, where they have been able to develop and improve their fertilizer formulations to attain balanced blends. In addition, the company has partner with several local and international organizations and institutions to carry out field demonstrations across the country aimed at helping the local farmer see the advantages of using the right fertilizer and farm inputs for his or her crops with improved agronomical practice.

Also speaking at the event, ARM Cement CEO Pradeep Paunrana added, “We are pleased to be to be working together with the government in this task to ensure that the citizens of this country have ample food supply. This partnership not only underlines our commitment as a company to provide the best quality products but also to increase capacity for people to live better lives and through such initiatives.” 

Hon. Felix Koskei closed the event by emphasizing the need to educate farmers in rural areas in ways through which they can improve their farming methods and practices by leveraging new technologies. “We need to ask ourselves; how do we get farmers to use benefits of science and biotechnology to deal with our problems of hunger and poverty? We should endeavor to demystify scientific and technological knowledge for farmers in our countries so that this knowledge may be applied to foster food security.”