The North Rift has always been the grain
basket of the country. But a myriad of factors have conspired to eat
deeply into agriculture production in the region.
Experts
and farmers have pointed at unpredictable weather conditions, frequent
outbreak of diseases, rising population, and costly inputs, among other
factors, as the key threats to the North Rift’s continued status as the
country’s grain store.
The current armyworm attack has only served to complicate matters for farmers, threatening food security.
Experts
are warning that the situation could get worse if corrective measures
are not taken. Already, more than 40 per cent of the crop been
damaged by pests.
“The attack by the fast spreading
Fall armyworm and repeated outbreak of MLN disease spells doom to many
farmers considering the high cost of farm inputs and an unstable maize
market,” said Mr Andrew Rotich, a farmer from Cherangany, Trans Nzoia
County.
Most farmers in the region have not recovered from an
outbreak of Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN) disease that ravaged parts of
the country last season, forcing some of them to uproot the crop.
The MLN disease damaged over 260,000 hectares of maize valued at Sh2 billion in the Rift Valley last season.
The MLN disease damaged over 260,000 hectares of maize valued at Sh2 billion in the Rift Valley last season.
Some
farmers in Uasin Gishu County have reduced the acreage under the crop,
with approximately 77,225 hectares planted with maize out of the
targeted 92,500.
Lack of sufficient rainfall has been
cited by most farmers as the reason for this move. The region received
22.5mm of rainfall during the planting period of April as compared with
134mm last year.
The most affected counties in the
region — which received less than 3 per cent rainfall during the
planting period, February to April — include Trans-Nzoia, Uasin Gishu,
Nandi, Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, Baringo, Nakuru and Bungoma.
They are classified as high maize growing areas, forming the country’s food basket.
Trans-Nzoia
County, a high maize producing region, harvested 4.7 million bags of
maize, down from 5 million bags last season. The yield is expected to
decline further due to the armyworm attack.
The county
has allocated Sh45 million to fight the Fall armyworm, which threatens
to wipe out more than 500 hectares of maize in the country’s bread
basket.
“The funds will enable us to acquire the right
chemicals to control the pests which have been spotted in farms in
Endebess and Kiminini sub-counties,” Governor Patrick Khaemba said in
Kitale.
HELLEN YEGO AND HER WORKERS HARVEST MAIZE AT MOIBEN IN UASIN GISHU COUNTY. FILE PHOTO | NMG
Maize production in West Pokot County
is expected to decline from 1.3 million to 5.6 million bags after some
farmers failed to plant the crop due to persistent drought.
Wheat production in the region is also expected to reduce due subdivision of land and disease outbreaks.
The
farmers said land fragmentation into uneconomical units had also
contributed to the recent decline in wheat production, resulting in
importation of the crop.
“Wheat production is highly
mechanical. Sub-division of land into smaller units due to population
pressure renders cultivation of the crop uneconomical,” said Mr Wilson
Kosgei, a farmer from Moiben, Uasin Gishu County.
The
outbreak of wheat stem rust such as ug99 which attacks all commercial
varieties, and high taxation on major inputs such as machinery, high
fuel and county government fees are yet other factors contributing to
lower production of the crop.
Wheat was the second most
important cereal after maize five years ago in terms of production and
consumption. But the trend has since changed as more farmers have
diversified to other more profitable investment.
Rift
Valley region produced an average of 4.5 million bags of wheat, from
127,825 hectares under the crop last season. Kenya produces an average
of 350,000 tonnes against consumption of 1.08 million tonnes, forcing it
to import the deficit.
“It is risky to invest heavily
in wheat production considering unpredictable climatic conditions and
the market price,” said Mr David Sang, from Sergoit, Uasin Gishu County.
Inadequate information and limited access to suitable
varieties and processing technologies from research institutions have
also been identified by the Ministry of Agriculture as other factors
contributing to the decline in wheat production.
Limited
availability of breeder and certified seed and instability in producer
prices following limited government intervention in wheat marketing are
yet other factors contributing to low wheat production.
Farmers
have appealed to the government to help them access better markets
following failure by the private sector to take up functions previously
undertaken by the National Cereals and Produce Board.
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