Agriculture Cabinet Secretary nominee Mutahi Kagwe has outlined his vision for engaging the youth in the agricultural sector.
Speaking during his vetting at County Hall in Parliament, Kagwe emphasized that agriculture is a key avenue for creating job opportunities for young people.
However, he noted that the sector must be made more attractive and exciting for the youth, particularly by leveraging modern technology, including artificial intelligence (AI).
Kagwe recognized the innovative nature of young people and argued that they should be encouraged to explore new areas and techniques within agriculture.
He stressed that it was time to take necessary steps to make the sector responsive to profit making.
“ We want the agriculture sector to be attractive to Kenyan youth. The current structure is boring and needs to involve technology to make it more exciting. Artificial Intelligence will play a crucial role in future”, he told the MPs.
Additionally, Kagwe shared his plans to collaborate with other key ministries to provide training for the youth, equipping them with the necessary skills to compete on a global scale.
He pointed out that agriculture is no longer just about growing crops but also includes emerging fields such as agri-tourism, agri-finance, and fintech.
Taxes
” We must ensure young farmers are equipped to succeed in today’s modern agricultural landscape. There are many activities within the sector….they like new things like Hydroponics and aquaponics.. We need to ensure that any opportunity to create jobs in the agriculture sector is not lost” he noted,” Kagwe emphasised.
Kagwe also expressed concern over Kenya’s agricultural taxation regime, which he believes hampers the sector’s growth.
He regretted that high taxes on agricultural exports, transport, and documentation create a significant burden on farmers and businesses.
“It would be better to create a bigger volume of business people and tax them a little, than to have just a few business people, which you tax a lot,” Kagwe argued, pledging to push for reforms to make the sector more business-friendly.
He assured the MPs that he would work tirelessly to put the Agriculture Ministry on the right path and address the challenges currently facing the sector.