Kenya woos Andhra farmers

The Andhra Pradesh government and Kenya are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for Andhra farmers taking up co-operative farming in that country.

About 50,000 hectares of cultivable land is available for this purpose, according to the Kenyan High Commissioner in India, Mutuma Kathurima, who met chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy here on Tuesday to apprise him on the proposal.

C C Reddy, advisor (foreign investments and human resources) to Andhra Pradesh government and who is instrumental in pushing the proposal, said that the state government might send 500 to 1,000 experienced farmers to Kenya after signing an agreement on experimental basis.

"The farmers would be formed into co-operative societies and take the land on lease from the Kenyan government. The farmers can send their income to their homeland with out any hindrance," Reddy told mediapersons.

According to him, a technical team led by him would be visiting both Kenya and Uganda in the last week of this month to clinch the deals for co-operative farming by Andhra farmers.

The necessary details, including the lease amount, insurance coverage, investment requirement among others would be discussed with the Kenyan government during the visit beside studying the soil and environmental conditions to evaluate the suitability of crops to be sown, Reddy said.