Maize farmers unwilling to try alternative crops, says Agriculture Secretary Koskei

Maize farmers are reluctant to heed a government directive to skip a planting season due to a viral disease that has been destroying the crop in the North and South Rift regions.

The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture Felix Koskei told the Senate Committee on Agriculture Tuesday that farmers are “unwilling” to try alternative crops to maize.

“I interviewed one farmer in Narok who told me that since he was born, he has been growing maize. And even if there’s a problem, the farmer told me, he will have to plant maize so that people know he planted maize,” Mr Koskei told the MPs at a meeting in Nairobi’s Kenyatta International Conference Centre.

His major beef with the farmers is that although they have information, they know how devastating the disease is, yet when the government is offering solutions to ensure they don’t make losses, the farmers “are unwilling to change”.

“We need to change the mindset of our people. People don’t accept because it is their staple food, and because it is a means of social standing. If you say you have 20 acres of maize in Bomet, another will say they have five acres. If you say, you have two acres of cassava, people will wonder what you are talking about," said the Cabinet secretary.

He said the maize disease –maize lethal nechrosis disease—which surfaced in September 2011 destroyed 700,000 bags of maize valued at Sh2 billion. That, the Cabinet Secretary said was two per cent of the country’s annual production. He said this made the government to step up surveillance.

The chairman of the Committee Lenny Kivuti sought to know if the disease was introduced in the country through underhand means –with the motive being to ensure that Kenyans keep importing maize.

“Whether this disease came up as a result of any other unorthodox method, we are not aware…things come during their time. It was a time for this disease to come to Kenya but we’re confronting it,” said Mr Koskei.

He said the area under cultivation had dropped from 26,000 hectares to 18,000 hectares as a result of government interventions to restrict movement of affected crop. The disease is caused by two viruses.

Apart from crop rotation –skipping a maize season and planting other crops—Mr Koskei said the ministry is also working on disease-resistant seeds for alternative crops, which will be distributed to farmers. Early planting is also key, he said.

Mr Koskei said a consignment of 5,000 tonnes of fertiliser will arrive in the country to assist farmers who were late in planning. Going forward, he said, fertiliser will arrive “at least a month earlier to the planting season"

He said farmers ought to buy seeds certified by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service, and also watch out for government advisories on the herbicides to use to combat the disease.

“I know it is going to be a tall order to convince farmers to plant other crops apart from maize. You have to give crop incentives,” Vihiga Senator George Khaniri told the Cabinet Secretary.

Senator Janet Ong’era (nominated) said extension officers should also go out and talk to the farmers just as they used to do over two decades ago, to advice farmers on farming practices.

“A time has now come to Kenya where we need to sensitise our farmers. The Food and Agriculture Organisation has said that the maize yield is going to reduce,” said Ms Ong’era.

She said that perhaps more research on fast-maturing banana varieties will help ensure food security and put money in the pockets of farmers.

Mr Koskei admitted that the ministry was understaffed because one extension officer serves at least 1,500 farmers, yet the global standard is one officer to 400 farmers.