This archive report was first published on 23 August 2021.
Monday, August 23, 2021, marked a significant shift for sorghum farmers in Makueni County as they returned to contract farming with brewers, thanks to a new bird-resistant seed variety developed by Egerton University.
The new variety, Egerton University Sorghum 1, has high nutritive value and is less appealing to birds, making it an attractive option for farmers who had previously abandoned the crop due to losses caused by bird destruction.
Wilson Lati, a farmer who was contracted by East African Breweries Limited in 2018 to grow sorghum, was among those who abandoned the crop two years later due to the significant losses incurred.
"We suffered huge losses because of birds and that is why most of us abandoned the crop though we had been contracted to grow white sorghum used for manufacturing Keg," said Mr Lati.
However, with the introduction of the new seed variety, some farmers who had abandoned the crop have started farming again. The new variety is not only less attractive to birds but is also fast maturing, drought-resistant, and high-yielding, with the potential to produce three tonnes per hectare compared to the current popular Gadam variety, which produces an average of 500 kilos.
Kenya Breweries Limited increased orders for barley and sorghum last year following high demand for beer in the wake of the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, offering a major boost to farmers.
