{
  "id": 5293449,
  "title": "Teso Farmers to benefit from establishment of cotton ginnery",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/teso-farmers-to-benefit-from-establishment-of-cotton-ginnery",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-03T09:31:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "KBC",
    "slug": "kbc",
    "url": "https://www.kbc.co.ke/teso-farmers-to-benefit-from-establishment-of-cotton-ginnery/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Farmers in Teso North are set to benefit more from cotton farming thanks to the construction of a cotton ginnery at Jairos Farmers’ Co-operative Society. The processing machines are currently being installed and, once operational, will turn seed cotton into lint bales. Additional machines will also be used to extract crude cottonseed oil and cottonseed cake for animal feed. The co-operative society obtained the ginnery with assistance from Busia County Government through the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project, a World Bank-funded initiative focusing on improving market participation and value addition for smallholder farmers.\n\nCurrently, cotton from the region is sent to other ginneries, like the Muluanda Ginnery in Samia, for processing. Jairos Farmers’ Co-operative Society Chairman Sammy Odama addressed KNA and encouraged more farmers to join the society and grow cotton, providing a steady supply of raw material for the ginnery. The machines can process over 1,000 kilogrammes of seed cotton per hour, owing to three machines already installed and more to be added. Odama assured farmers that the society will continue providing support to ensure they reap the benefits of cotton farming and help their families.\n\nThe society has already distributed Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton seeds to farmers in the region and provided sprays and inputs. They have also issued bursaries to around 100 students from farming families this year using profits from the crop. Odama thanked the government for supplying Bt cotton seeds and expressed a need for further assistance to acquire more machines, expand the ginnery, and boost farmers' incomes.\n\nJairos Farmers’ Co-operative Society has identified a partner willing to provide cotton varieties for field trials, which, if successful, would lead to the establishment of a cotton seed bank. The society will collaborate with Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) to ensure the new variety is evaluated and meets quality standards.",
  "summary": "Farmers in Teso North are set to benefit more from cotton farming following the establishment of a ginnery at Jairos Farmers’ Co-operative Society, where installation of the processing machines is underway. Once operational, the ginnery will process seed cotton obtained from farmers into lint bales, while additional machines will crush the cottonseed to produce crude […] The post Teso Farmers to…",
  "key_points": [
    "Teso Farmers to benefit from new cotton ginnery",
    "Machines installed to process cotton into lint and oil",
    "Society seeks more machines and government assistance"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}