Elgon Kenya boss honoured for supporting farmers in East Africa

President Uhuru Kenyatta honoured Elgon Kenya’s Director Bimal Kantaria.

Agro inputs company Elgon Kenya’s Director Bimal Kantaria has been feted with an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree by the United Graduate College and Seminary International, a US-based theology college.

He was recognised for his efforts at promoting agriculture in East Africa, working with the youth in farming and philanthropy. Elgon Kenya has worked with youth in farming through introduction of new technologies and projects. The annual National Farmers Awards, now in its seventh year, seeks to reward Kenya’s best food producers while bringing the industry under one roof. The award also runs a youth category that has inspired a new generation of young farmers. The young soil celebrities, majority who have dumped suits for boots and got their hands dirty, have turned their farms into demonstration and training plots. Mr Kantaria is the patron of the scheme and has previously been feted by President Uhuru Kenyatta for his role in motivating farmers.

Elgon Kenya has also developed low cost innovations that are not only making farming cool, but growing more yields under small acreages and guaranteeing year round supplies in the wake of changing climate. These include the globally acclaimed Magnar Water Solutions that ensure judicious use of water and have become popular with many smallholder farmers for their durability and affordability.

Accepting the citation from the American university, Dr Kantaria said he is committed to helping Kenyan farmers achieve their dreams and boost the country’s food security.

“The conferment of the Honorary Doctorate by the United Graduate College and Seminary International is a humbling and proud moment for me and the team I lead at Elgon Kenya. This honour gives us more impetus and zeal to pursue what we so passionately believe and subscribe to. We will live true to our mantra and put more effort in transforming this great nation,” he said.

To bolster growing food from a point of information, Elgon Kenya runs a 24/7 information centre where trained agronomists are on standby to answer questions from farmers across the country on any aspect of their food production journey. The agro input powerhouse also runs an online shop selling even single units of its portfolio of products and in partnership with courier shops delivering orders at the doorsteps of farmers.

“As threats to food production, traditional and emerging persist, we have introduced plant clinics that are now in their tenth edition. The clinics, modeled along the human health concept, allow farmers to bring their ‘sick plants’ for diagnosis by experts. The clinics also congregate industry players to discuss the agriculture sector,” Kantaria said. 


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