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Profarm Africa Ltd:<br />
working with farmers for<br />
improved yields<br />
D. K. Kagwe, Profarm Africa Ltd Managing Direc<strong>to</strong>r<br />
As <strong>the</strong> world<br />
p o p u l a t i o n<br />
surge high,<br />
farmland is<br />
d w i n d l i n g<br />
due <strong>to</strong> many activities that<br />
humankind is engaged on.<br />
Currently, it is estimated that<br />
<strong>the</strong>re are about 7.1 billion<br />
people living on earth. In<br />
eight years <strong>to</strong> <strong>co</strong>me it will have<br />
reached 8 billion ac<strong>co</strong>rding <strong>to</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> United Nations estimates.<br />
In Kenya, it is estimated that by<br />
2015, <strong>the</strong> population will have<br />
reached 40 million people.<br />
To feed everyone in<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>co</strong>untry, it will call for<br />
diversification in farming<br />
methods and practices. Farmers<br />
must improve <strong>the</strong>ir yield per<br />
available unit area. Hybrid<br />
seeds and advanced farming<br />
technology will go a long way<br />
in improving farm yields.<br />
Measures <strong>to</strong> reduce losses<br />
<strong>to</strong> pests and diseases will<br />
also significantly help <strong>the</strong><br />
farmers. Agrochemical experts<br />
are advising <strong>the</strong> farmers <strong>to</strong><br />
embrace new research which<br />
is giving <strong>the</strong> new agricultural<br />
products that are of great<br />
impact on <strong>the</strong>ir yields.<br />
Profarm Africa Ltd, a medium<br />
sized agribusiness enterprise<br />
based in Nairobi, Kenya is<br />
working closely with small and<br />
medium scale farmers in East<br />
Africa <strong>to</strong> provide <strong>the</strong>m with<br />
effective, environmentally safe<br />
products. Focusing mainly on<br />
<strong>co</strong>ffee, grains and horticulture,<br />
<strong>the</strong> firm is promising <strong>to</strong><br />
deliver high quality products<br />
selected from internationally<br />
re<strong>co</strong>gnized manufacturers at<br />
an affordable price.<br />
“Our objective is <strong>to</strong> work<br />
closely with <strong>the</strong> farmers, by<br />
actively promoting Good<br />
Agricultural Practices,” says<br />
Profarm Africa Ltd Managing<br />
Direc<strong>to</strong>r, D. K. Kagwe.<br />
Although small and medium<br />
scale farmers <strong>co</strong>ntributes<br />
<strong>the</strong> largest portion of food<br />
produced in Kenya, knowing<br />
<strong>the</strong> right chemical for use <strong>to</strong><br />
curb certain pests or crop<br />
diseases, can sometimes be<br />
a challenging task <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
Profarm Africa has been<br />
working with <strong>the</strong>m <strong>to</strong> guide<br />
and support <strong>the</strong>m with <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>co</strong>rrect chemicals for <strong>the</strong><br />
various <strong>co</strong>nditions <strong>the</strong>y face.<br />
Where farmers has been<br />
<strong>co</strong>mplaining of reduced yields,<br />
Profarm Africa Ltd introduced<br />
water soluble fertilizers that can<br />
be dissolved in water easily and<br />
utilized by crops immediately.<br />
They usually <strong>co</strong>ntain Nitrogen-<br />
P h o s p h o r o u s - Po t a s s i u m<br />
(NPK) which has Calcium<br />
and Magnesium, <strong>the</strong> most<br />
known necessary elements for<br />
increased yields and health of<br />
crops.<br />
“The ultimate goal of<br />
fertilizing your crops is <strong>to</strong><br />
supply <strong>the</strong>m with <strong>the</strong> right<br />
amount of nutrients, yet, at <strong>the</strong><br />
same time not <strong>to</strong>xifying <strong>the</strong><br />
soil through over fertilization,”<br />
Kagwe says. He adds, “The<br />
directions for usage, given<br />
on <strong>the</strong> products label, should<br />
be followed ac<strong>co</strong>rdingly <strong>to</strong><br />
achieve maximum results,”<br />
Regardless of <strong>the</strong> watering<br />
equipment used by <strong>the</strong><br />
farmers, <strong>the</strong> fertilizers will stay<br />
in solution form and never<br />
leave trace at <strong>the</strong> bot<strong>to</strong>m of <strong>the</strong><br />
tank. “You will spend less time<br />
and experience no problems<br />
while effectively fertilizing<br />
your plants with our water<br />
soluble speciality fertilizers,”<br />
Kagwe says of <strong>the</strong> products.<br />
Among its wide variety<br />
of water soluble speciality<br />
fertilizers products include,<br />
Profarm Folia+, Profolia<br />
Gold, Profolia POTA, Profarm<br />
CALMAG, Sanorganik,<br />
POTMAG-S and Sangrass.<br />
Profarm Africa’s vision is <strong>to</strong><br />
work with farmers in Africa<br />
and be preferred organization<br />
by agricultural products<br />
researchers, manufacturers<br />
and formula<strong>to</strong>rs in developing,<br />
mar<strong>ke</strong>ting and distributing<br />
brands, technologies and<br />
innovations that optimize<br />
agricultural production and<br />
profitability, improve nutrition<br />
and enhance quality of life for<br />
all.<br />
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