Address farmers’ woes

Farmers in the North Rift grain basket are staring at losses running into millions of shillings as drought, pests and diseases ravage their crops.

A severe dry spell and a shortage of top-dressing fertiliser threaten to slash the anticipated national maize harvest by 30 per cent. Crops on thousands of hectares have been wilting due to insufficient rainfall.

The crop failure is expected to deepen the national deficit, prompting plans for imports and emergency support. After borrowing millions, some farmers are stuck as there will be little harvest this season. One family took out Sh2.7 million loans they had hoped to easily repay if their projected harvest of 1,500 bags of maize and a revenue of Sh6 million would be realised.

This is threatening household incomes, loan repayment, and food security for 120,000 smallholders across the North Rift region, especially in Uasin Gishu and Trans Nzoia counties. Surviving crops face attacks from the Fall Armyworm and other pests. Depressed rainfall has resulted in wilting food and cash crops, threatening to reverse agricultural sector gains.

Delayed distribution and shortages of top-dressing fertilisers have also worsened crop health. The long rains arrived earlier than usual in mid-February, encouraging farmers to prepare land and plant. But the dry spell extended into June and July in the North Rift region, which produces 6 million bags a year, fetching between Sh15 billion and Sh20 billion.

Trans Nzoia expects 3.62 million bags, a 40 per cent drop in production. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the country will, by the end of September, be short of 5.4 million bags of maize. There are plans to import a million 90-kilogramme bags to bridge the gap.

The government should extend incentives to cushion farmers against heavy losses and provide emergency funds to restock national grain stores and avert a food shortage crisis.

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