Photo: Fred Noy/UN

Thirty nations have signed a pact increasing their agricultural budgets by 10 percent.

BUSIA Governor Sospeter Ojaamong' has appealed to the residents of his county to embrace modern farming methods to boost their yields. He said it is time that farmers moved from subsistence to commercial farming to improve the living standards of the locals.

Speaking at the Busia Agricultural Training Centre during the farmers' field day yesterday, Ojaamong' said food shortage being experienced in the county is caused by failure by the farmers to embrace new farming methods.

"Busia has fertile arable land with adequate rainfall, but there is acute food shortage because our farmers have refused to embrace modern farming techniques," Ojaamong said.

County Agricultural executive secretary Moses Yaite and his Trade and Tourism counterpart Hillary Makhulu said Busia government has put in place effective measures to promote agriculture and trade.