The County Government of Bomet guaranteed loans for eight cooperatives to purchase a tractor each and farm implements for use by their members. The county government negotiated a credit facility with the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) on behalf of the cooperatives. The tractors will help in modernizing agriculture and in diversification of crops in the county. The farm implements included plows, mowers, balers, a grain drier and tillers.

Flagging off the tractors, Bomet County governor H.E Isaac Ruto said the county government will continue supporting farmers through multipurpose cooperatives noting that the cooperative movement has the potential to uplift the economy of the people. The county government has invested heavily in cooperatives and advances loans at 1% interest rates. Currently, there’s KSh 60 million invested in various cooperatives as a revolving fund.

Besides, the county government had earlier bought two tractors, balers and mowers that help farmers in harvesting and baling Boma Rhode pastures that the county government introduced by subsidizing seeds.

According to the Agribusiness CEC Hon. Alex Kirui, Bomet County currently has 2448 acres under Boma Rhode pasture. The pasture is harvested after every three months earning farmers money as an alternative cash crop. Farmers often had to wait for long to be able to have their pastures harvested by the two county tractors but with the addition of the eight tractors, the problem is not only solved but more farmers are likely to take up pasture growing.