Seed shortage sparks fears of low yields
A woman watches as a fork-lift loads seeds for storage at the Kenya Seeds Company Nakuru depot earlier this month. Farmers in the expansive Rift Valley province, a major maize producing zone in the country complain of seeds shortage that would alter the planting calendar. FILE | NATION
An acute shortage of seed maize has hit different parts of Kenya, causing fears over planting delays and a poor harvest.
The worst hit areas include the country’s main grain growing regions of Rift Valley, Nyanza and Central.
In Nyanza Province, the Siaya district agricultural officer, Mr Hudson Nyamwangi, said there was an acute shortage of Kenya Seed maize varieties 516, 515 and 520.
“The official price for these varieties per two kilogramme bag was Sh260 but they are now going for Sh350. The retail price for the Panam and Western varieties was Sh270 but they are now retailing at Sh400,” Mr Nyamwangi said.
In Central Province, farmers in Kiambu County have delayed planting because there are no seeds.
Mr Michael Njuguna, a farmer in Limuru, said he prepared his land for planting a month and a half ago, but the available seeds were not appropriate for the area’s soil and climate.
“The seeds in the shops are Pioneer and DK, which do not do well in this area,” Mr Njuguna said.
The shortage is said to have been caused by the opening of the East Africa Common market. Traders from Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi are reported to have been buying seeds from stockists in Kenya.
The fairly good price that maize is fetching and the availability of subsidised fertiliser have also compounded the shortage of certified seeds as farmers increase the acreage under maize.
Last year, the State set a benchmark price of Sh1,800 for a 90-kilogramme bag of maize but many farmers ended up selling a bag for more than Sh2,300.
It has also emerged that farmers are shying away from buying seeds from stockists because of the high prices. Some dealers have increased the price of seeds by Sh300 to Sh400.
Sources at Kenya Seed Company said the government bought the carry over stock of 40 per cent that the company normally reserves to mitigate shortages.
The shortage is also reported to have been caused by a dry spell that hit the country in the year 2008/2009, affecting the company which controls about 80 per cent of the seed production in the country.
“We usually sell 24 million kilogrammes of seed maize annually but this year we can only meet 75 per cent of this, which translates to 18 million kilos,” said company spokesman Sammy Chepsiror.
Reported By Peter Ngetich, Eric Oloo and Eric Wainaina
