Lamu County has received Sh.4.5 million fiber boat to aid in transporting their farm produce across the vast ocean, KBC Reports.
The farmers who received the new motorized boat have been farming on the mainland and experienced challenges in accessing their farms as well as transporting their produce from their farms to the Islands of Pate, Faza, Kizingitini and Tchundwa.This is expected to enable them to optimize their farming activities as the boat has a load capacity of 10 tonnes and 50 passengers. Limited access to farm lands has been a perennial hurdle for farmers in parts of Lamu County.
The fiber boat with load capacity of 10 tonnes, and can ferry 50 passengers at a go to be used by about 2,000 farmers.
This is more efficient than the windblown dhows farmers used in the past that were prone to capsizing.
The county government is also constructing a silo within the mainland for storage as well as giving out free seeds and fertilizer at a cost of 10 million shillings.