How private tractor owners cash in on the rains

For the last ten years, the onset of rains in Siaya County has always brought a beehive of activities, including visitors.

Among those who visit and cash on the rains are tractor owners and operators to plough for the residents in the six-sub-counties.

The tractor operators always spend this season in trading centers, with a majority of the four-wheeler machines said to be from Rift Valley.

Benard Omollo, a tractor driver tells The Standard that they always operate in Siaya from November to February. They usually charge farmers at least Sh3,500 per acre for normal ploughing.

Farmers in the county mostly grow maize and millet, with more than 40 percent of farmers in the county using tractors to prepare their lands.

On a good day, Omollo says they till up to 15 acres, raking in not less than Sh50,000. This amounts to at least Sh1 million in a good year.

Even though there is a growing demand for tractor hire services some farmers like Peter Okello, a resident of Ndeda Island in Bondo sub-county still rely on ox-drawn ploughs to prepare their farm.

With the help of family members, it takes them several days to do the work at a fee of between Sh1,500 and Sh2,000 per acre.

With the introduction of a subsidized tractor hire program by the county government in 2013, Okello breathed a sigh of relief. He looked forward to fast, efficient, and increased agricultural production.

But a decade after the introduction of the ambitious subsidized tillage services, Okello is yet to benefit from the program.

“We still rely on muscle power or an ox-drawn plough. It is labor intensive with minimal production,” says Okello.

In Kanyibok village in West Yimbo ward, it has been an elusive attempt by Mary Aloo to get subsidized tillage services.

Despite applying and paying a fee of Sh2,500 for ploughing services two years ago, Aloo tells The Standard that she never benefited from the programme.

“I was forced to seek the services of private tractor hire services because I was running out of time,” she says, adding that she paid a fee of Sh4,500 for her one-acre farm.

According to Aloo, private tractor hire services are reliable and require no bureaucracies in order to access.

Early this year, Governor James Orengo unveiled seven new tractors and distributed them in Alego-Usonga, Ugenya, Ugunja, Bondo, Gem, and Rarieda sub-counties for the programme.

While flagging off the new tractors, Governor Orengo announced that his administration proposes to get an additional 36 tractors for the programme.

“Our aim is to provide one agricultural tractor per village in the long term,” said the governor, adding that they are targeting at least two tractors per ward by the financial year 2024/2025.

With this, the county boss said the county would be able to plough at least 7, 500 acres per season.

In an interview with The Standard, the county executive for Agriculture Sylvester K’Okoth said there are enough tractors to serve the farmers.

According to K’Okoth, there are currently 22 tractors owned by the county government, with plans to increase the number.

“While it is true that the county government-owned tractors are not adequate for the farmers, there are enough tractors in the county to serve all the farmers,” says K’Okoth.

The County Executive, who argues that farming in the county is still seasonal, says that the objective of mechanization is set to take the county to commercial agriculture.

“The Siaya County Mechanization Services Bill has already been approved by the executive and will be taken to the Assembly. This Bill will help in creating access to mechanization services, including the tractors,” he explains.

With a target of 3, 000 acres last year during the long rains, K’Okoth says they only managed to plough 2, 127 acres due to delays contributed by uptake from farmers.

He adds that the tractors lay idle for close to one month in the Rarieda sub-county before they were released to other areas.

Prof Leo Ogallo of Great Lakes University of Kisumu and a farmer in Siaya County says there is always high demand for tractors by smallholder farmers who cannot afford to own them.

“One of the greatest challenges experienced during this season is the rush by farmers to access the limited tractors. This leaves the farmers with only one option – private tractors,” says Ogallo.

According to Ogallo, there is a need for enhanced partnerships that will help in providing tractors to farmers promptly.

K’Okoth however says that there are plans to identify the beneficiaries of the county’s subsidized services early enough.

“This will enable us to work within the budget by ensuring that only those who are registered for the subsidized services benefit,” he adds.