Hello Tractor has launched a new price model enabling farmers to hire agricultural tools at one-tenth of the cost.

While it costs Sh2,500 an acre to hire a chisel plough from a large-scale farm in Nakuru, (the implement is in demand by farmers for its capacity to increase farm output while lowering the cost of inputs), one from the Hello Tractor mechanisation hub in Nakuru costs farmers just Sh2,000 for an entire day’s work across many farms.

The one-stop shop for tractor equipment in Mauche, Nakuru County, which is the second of its kind after the first branch in Ahero, will serve over 20,000 smallholder maize and potato farmers who have used Hello Tractor by giving them access to in-demand potato planters and harvesters as well as preparation equipment in the form of ripper ploughs and two-in-one maize chisel ploughs.

“Farmers have researched the newest agricultural equipment and know the best tractor implements to use on their farms to increase their yields and better manage their soils. They often just lack the financial capability to buy these tools or rent them from large-scale farms. We are looking to build eight mechanisation hubs across Kenya to meet their demand at a price that is affordable for them,” illuminated Lydia Mureithi, Hello Tractor’s Nakuru hub coordinator.

A hotly requested farm implement by farmers in Nakuru is the two-in-one maize chisel plough which is specifically calibrated 75cm apart from row to row to prepare maize fields for planting. “Farmers were previously using disc ploughs which turn the soil on the entire farm compared to the maize chisel which only works on the planting area,” Lydia said.

Potato planters and harvesters are the often hired secondary farm equipment by potato farmers in the region as they enable farmers to prepare their soils much faster and on time as well as save on labour costs. According to Hello Tractor, their services enable farmers to plant crops 40 times faster and 2.5 times cheaper than conventional manual methods, getting up to three times more in yields.

The Nakuru mechanisation hub which was officially opened on the fourteenth of last month is the second of eight such hubs to be opened across the country and will also house spare parts to fix any broken equipment and tractor mechanics who will organise with tractor owners for sheduled tractor maintenance. 

Farmers will also get regular training on mechanisation, agriculture inputs, and ways of avoiding post-harvest losses.

The company is working with the Warehouse Receipt Systems Council to provide storage and market linkages to maize farmers in Nakuru and with Yara and the OCPGroup to provide access to fertiliser and seeds as well as agronomic advice to farmers.