Nakuru County Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries CeC Dr. Stanley Chepkwony has said that farmers in the county will benefit from farm inputs that will be donated by the county government.
According to the minister, the programme will cost the government Sh15 million and the farmers will get a bag of fertilizer, sweet potatoes and beans.
“Measures have been put in place and the programme is being finalized and it will be launched next week,” said Chepkwony.
Speaking on Tuesday in Bahati area, Nakuru North Sub-county, the minister said that the county government is taking this step after farmers incurred losses following the attack of maize lethal necrosis disease.
“Statistics show that farmers harvested little or no maize due to the attack of the maize disease and some parts of the county experienced drought,” he said.
“As the government, we are optimistic once the programme is launched farmers will be in a better position to fight drought and enhance food security,” he added.
He urged farmers not to plant maize for one season as a way of combatting the spread of the disease, and heed the advice they are given by agricultural officers at the ward level in order to improve their farming.
He advised them to embrace agribusiness if they want to maximize profits.
Seventy five farmers from every ward will be targeted, where each will get one bag of 50kgs fertilizer, five kilos of sweet potato, seeds and 10kgs of beans.