Cornel Rasanga, Siaya Governor. [Photo/citizentv.co.ke]
Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga has instructed his agriculture department to revive all the collapsed schemes in the county to enhance food security across the region.
Rasanga says that is quite disappointing that Siaya County was still experiencing serious food deficit yet a lot of money had been pumped into various irrigation schemes especially along the beaches in Rarieda sub-county.
The governor who cited the irrigation schemes which collapsed at Kasiri, Nyangoye, Aram and Obenge beach among others in Rarieda sub-county, has therefore ordered the department to take time and ensure that those projects are revived.
He says that they need to allocate more resources to those projects and manage it with a lot of seriousness with a view to enhancing food security in the county.
Rasanga who was speaking during the launch of this year’s mechanized agriculture programme at Ragengni trading center in Rarieda sub-county blamed the agriculture officers’ laxity for the low crop production which has persistently been witnessed in the county.
The Governor lamented that agriculture extension officers were not doing enough to improve yield and therefore asked them to ensure they train farmers on new farming technics.
He took the opportunity to impress upon farmers to embrace sorghum production for economic purposes, noting that the East African Breweries Limited company is currently offering a ready market for the product.
Through the mechanized agriculture programme, Siaya County government will plough people’s farms at a rate of Ksh 1,200 per acre and provide certified seeds and fertilizers at subsidized rates.