The planting season has approached and many farmers are preparing
to plant, with some having already planted.
Locust invasion in Trans Nzoia county, spotted early this
month, has sacred many farmers who have halted their plans to plant –not aware
when the destructive pests will be contained by the ministry since Coronavirus
pandemic outbreak in the country –with the ministry of agriculture remaining
silent in the fight against locust.
The desert locusts were spotted in ADC Farm at Endebess by
the start of March, posing danger to farmers, with the region being the largest
contributor to the national basket of food reserves.
As COVID-19 pandemic surge through the country, putting on
hold a number of economic pillars, the agricultural sector has also been hit,
with farmers also feeling the pain of the coronavirus pandemic, posing food
shortage threat to the nation.
Elisha Wanjala, a farm manager at Barasa Farm –a
non-governmental farm in Kiminini constituency, speaks to News 9 Kenya about
what farmers are going through during this planting season, marred with
COVID-19 pandemic and locusts’ epidemic.
He says that majority of small scale farmers depends on
labour wedge from Barasa Farm to buy seedlings and fertilizers, but depending
on government directives over COVID-19, the farm has cut on labour forces,
allowing few workers in the farm.
“The agricultural sector has not been spared with the current
state in the country following the government’s measures to avoid crowding and social
gatherings, the farm gets few labours which is quite expensive as compared to a
majority of them working we get few workers,” said Mr. Elisha.
He added that with the topdressing season also approaching
and many agrovet closed, farmers are finding it had to access the seeds and
fertilizers as the available retail shops sale the seeds at a high cost.
“For us, we planted a bit earlier before the situation
escalated as we acquired the seeds and fertilizer at a fair price, now a 2kg
packet of seed is ranging from Ksh 380 to Ksh 400 previously going to 300. The challenge
to farmers will be during the topdressing season since many agrovets are
closed, making retail shops sale the seeds to farm expensively,” he added.
MR. Wanjala applying manure in the portion of the farm. Image|Courtesy
As the corona pandemic takes its worse turn with the number
of cases in the country rising to 42 as at Sunday 29, many farmers may be
staring at a hike in price in the coming days if the situation continues to
pull down the economy
“We are hoping that things will take a positive turn and for
the virus to be contained because if the situation continues as it is, our farms
will not yield as much as we expect, since many farmers will not be able to buy
Agri-chemicals to boost their crops, as desert locusts also posing danger,”
said Festus Masinde a farmer from Matisi.
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