Koskei allays maize shortage fears, blames Turkana hunger on poverty
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei speaks at a past briefing. He said the cereals board will now buy maize from farmers at Sh2,200 per bag. FILE PHOTO |
What you need to know:
- The Cabinet Secretary said that although the country had enough food, some Kenyans, especially in Turkana and Samburu counties, were facing hunger due to poverty.
- Mr Koskei urged coconut farmers at the Coast to expand cultivation, saying that most of the coconut trees in the region were too old. Of the 9.9 million coconut trees, 3.3 million trees needed to be replaced as they were unproductive.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei Wednesday denied reports of a maize shortage, saying there is a surplus of the staple food.
The minister said there was a reserve of 2.9 million bags of maize in the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots.
“It should be noted that by October, we shall have a surplus of 3.4 million bags,” he said.
Farmers from across the country are expected to harvest between 34 million and 40 million bags of maize this season.
Mr Koskei said the government had enough food.
“At the moment, we have 2.9 million bags of maize in the NCPB stores, which is enough to feed the population,” he said.
The Cabinet Secretary said that although the country had enough food, some Kenyans, especially in Turkana and Samburu counties, were facing hunger due to poverty.
“We have enough food, but sadly some Kenyans out there are too poor to buy food. To overcome the food deficit in Turkana and Samburu, the government will roll out irrigation projects in the semi-arid areas,” he added.
The minister said the government would irrigate 10,000 acres of land at Galana-Kulalo in Kilifi and Tana River.
The land irrigated would also serve as a model farm.
He explained that the first harvest of maize crop from the model farm was expected in February.
“The design of the model farm at the Galana-Kulalo irrigation project is underway as we gear up towards realising the dream of irrigating one million acres.”
Mr Koskei made the remarks at Mkomani Showground in Mombasa, during the opening of the Mombasa International Agricultural Show.
Mr Koskei urged coconut farmers at the Coast to expand cultivation, saying that most of the coconut trees in the region were too old. Of the 9.9 million coconut trees, 3.3 million trees needed to be replaced as they were unproductive.
He noted that the region had the potential to meet the country’s demand for coconut products if farmers could increase the crop’s acreage.
The government plans to acquire fast maturing coconut seedlings from India and Sri Lanka to boost coconut production.
“There is a need for coconut farmers at the Coast to replace the aged coconut trees as well as expand the crop’s acreage and boost their incomes,” he said.
UHURU'S VISIT
The minister also said the government would continue to discourage the export of raw nuts.
He added that this was aimed at encouraging Kenyan entrepreneurs to open cashewnut processing plants and create more jobs for youth.
Mr Koskei called on nut processors to offer farmers better prices to prevent them from cutting down their trees.
Some farmers in the region have been felling cashew nut trees due to low prices of between Sh20 and Sh30 a kilogramme, compared with between Sh50 and Sh70 a kilo before the ban on raw nut exports was imposed by the government a few years ago.
Some growers have called for the lifting of the ban to enable them to fetch better prices for the product.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to officially open the show Thursday.
The show, which has attracted over 200 local and international exhibitors, will end on Sunday.
