Agriculture Principal Secretary Dr. Richard Lesiyampe has said that the Government has not retrieved farm machinery meant for farmers in Ahero and West Kano rice irrigation schemes in Kisumu County as alleged by a local newspaper at the week-end.
He also noted that the support from county and the national government was extending to farmers, meant to start them off in realizing profitable agribusiness through the supply of subsidized farm machinery and inputs.
The government supplied the irrigation equipment to the farmers in Kisumu County in June last year at the at a cost of Sh62 million which they were supposed to repay through their farmers’ cooperative unions. Kisumu County Government had also pledged to help the farmers repay the amount.
The PS clarified that the support was a national programme where the government is supporting rice production through provision of mechanization technologies in Kisumu, Kirinyaga, Busia,Baringo and Tana River Counties.
“Government can not frustrate the same farmers by withdrawing support due to none payment for agricultural machinery” he added.
He encouraged co-operative unions to help farmers repay loans which is difficult to pay if left to individual farmers.