The county’s Department of Agriculture estimates that more than 50,000 acres of maize have been destroyed.
Although rains have since resumed, hopes for a good harvest have faded, with farmers now calling on the government to reduce the cost of farm inputs to cushion them against the losses.
At Bidii, on the outskirts of Kitale Town, James Mutinda surveys the damage on his farm after his maize crop withered due to the prolonged dry spell. Farming is his family’s primary source of livelihood, and he fears the losses will have a significant impact on their income.
“Most of the time I plant more than 10 acres and harvest between 300 and 350 bags from those 10 acres. But this year it will be difficult to even get 150 bags. Even if it rains now, looking at this maize, we will still incur losses,” said James Mutinda, a farmer.
According to the county’s Department of Agriculture, more than 50,000 of the 250,000 acres under maize cultivation have been affected by the drought.
The situation poses a threat to national food security, given that Trans Nzoia produces more than seven million bags of maize annually. Projections indicate that production could decline by more than 40 per cent this year.
“It is not only maize that has been affected. Beans, coffee, vegetables and fruits have also been destroyed,” another farmer said.
Many farmers have been left helpless and are now appealing to the government to lower the cost of farm inputs to enable them to return to production.
“There are sections of my farm where I will not harvest anything because the crops have completely dried up. The sun has been too much,” another farmer appealed.
“The government should reduce the cost of fertiliser to about Ksh.1,500 so that we can at least return to farming. I don’t see how we can continue under the current conditions.”
Speaking during celebrations to mark the International Day of Cooperatives in Trans Nzoia County, Governor George Natembeya said the county government has initiated plans to train farmers on alternative crop production to help mitigate the effects of climate change.
“We want to see whether we can reach a point where we have two cropping seasons in a year. There are periods after harvesting maize when farms remain idle, yet there are crops we can grow, including fast-maturing maize varieties that can be harvested within three months and can withstand short dry spells. That way, if we fail during the long rains, we can compensate during the short rains,” said George Natembeya, Trans Nzoia Governor.
