Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Willy Bett has cried foul over losses farmers in the North Rift region incurred during the El Nino rains due to lack of drying machines.
Speaking after meeting farmers in Eldoret town on Monday, Bett said more than one million bags of maize was lost during the El Nino rains.
He said the huge loss was a threat to food security in the country.
"70 per cent of farmers were unable to harvest their produce during the rainy season due to lack of storage and drying equipment. Such losses could have been prevented if proper mechanisms were put in place," he said.
He said to prevent such losses, the national government through the Ministry of Agriculture has subsidised the drying rates at National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots.
"Farmers can now take their produce at NCPBs for drying at no fee," he said.
He said that his ministry was working on a formula to ensure that the cost of production is reduced, through subsidising farm inputs.