Moiben MP Silas Tiren (left) with Agriculture CS Willy Bett at a past event in Eldoret. [Photo: Facebook/ Willy Bett]
The national government has been asked to put in place measures that will ensure farmers who were affected by various calamities this year are helped to plant crops in the coming season.
Moiben Member of Parliament Silas Tiren says many farmers recorded huge losses due to prolonged drought, fall armyworms invention and heavy rains that were witnessed in various stages this season.
Speaking in Eldoret on Tuesday, Tiren pointed out that farmers were among the key components for the country's economic growth hence need to be protected and helped in the event of calamities.
“This year was hard for many farmers, there was drought during planting season, then came the fall armyworms invasion and during the harvesting season there were heavy rains that caused rotting of most of the maize,” noted Tiren.
“Looking at all those challenges, some farmers may not be able to plant next here hence need for the government to perhaps compensate them,” he added.
It has been projected that there will be a drop of about 6 million bags in maize production across the North Rift region, the country's grain basket.
Uasin Gishu, a leading maize producer in the region, expected to record a shortfall of 1.6 million bags of 90-kilogram each from the targeted 5.2 million bags.