The
government has announced it will deploy National Youth Service officers to
parts of Central , where there has been an invasion of armyworm.
This
is not the first place an armyworm infestation has been reported. For the last
three months, farmers in the counties of Busia, Bungoma, Trans Nzoia and
Kakamega have been grappling with the dreaded fall worm, which has destroyed
millions of acres of maize crop.
In
Western and parts of Rift Valley, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Willy
Bett visited some farmers, but left them to their own devices to buy whatever
chemicals they deemed necessary. The farmers also provided or paid for the
labour as they battled the devastating crop pest.
Now
the government has decided to provide chemicals and labour, through the NYS,
for the farmers in Mt Kenya and parts of Rift Valley.
Whereas
the government has the right and obligation to help farmers deal with the
problem, it’s wrong for the state to create the perception that some regions
are more important than others.
