Farmers ignoring State directive, says Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei

By MOSES NJAGIH

Kenya: Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei has accused maize farmers of ignoring a directive meant to curb a viral disease.

Koskei yesterday told the Senate Committee on Agriculture that farmers in North and South Rift Valley, which produces the bulk of the country’s grains, have ignored a directive to introduce crop rotation and skip maize planting alternately, a move he said had thwarted efforts to fight the lethal maize nechrosis disease.

He said the farmers are not willing to try alternative crops as advised by the Government.

Koskei said it was shocking despite farmers incurring heavy losses through the viral infection, and the Government giving them solutions to fight the menace, farmers were not receptive to the advice.

“I interviewed a farmer in Narok who told me that since he was born, he has been growing maize every season and could not change that,” said the Secretary.

He added: “We need to change the mindset of our people. They are not willing to buy our advise because maize is their staple food, and because it is a means of social standing. He said the maize disease, which surfaced in September 2011 has destroyed 700,000 bags of maize valued at Sh2 billion, which is two per cent of the country’s annual production.

Embu Senator Lenny Kivuti, who is the chairman of the Committee demanded to know if the disease was introduced in the country through underhand means, to ensure that the country keeps importing maize.

Koskei however, said he did not know if there was a motive.