North Rift farmers are urging the State to intervene and halt attempts from financial institutions auctioning their property to recover funds loaned to them last year for planting.
The maize farmers claim they had great losses in the last harvest due to the prolonged drought during last season’s planting season which in turn led to low yields thus they have not recovered the cost incurred to pay back for the borrowed loans from the financial institutions.
Kenya Farmers Association (KFA) Director Mr. Kipkorir Menjo urged the government to also form a taskforce, just like the coffee taskforce so that they come up with various ways of supporting maize farmers in the region.
Menjo is of the view that, if a taskforce is formed, it will to keep off cartels that have for a long period of time invaded the maize sector exploiting farmers who end up losing much of their profits to them in the name of getting ready market for their produce.
“These cartels mostly take advantage during the planting season when farmers need to access maize seeds and fertilizer and during the harvesting season when they need ready market for selling their yields,” He notes.
Menjo disclosed that farmers need enlightenment to modern ways of farming so that they can abandon the traditional methods thus increasing their yields. Most of the farmers depend on the Agricultural Finance Corporation and banks for loans.
Article by Vera Shawiza.