Over 200,000 farmers in Homa Bay to get subsidised fertiliser - state

The state is targeting to register more than 200,000 farmers as beneficiaries for subsidised fertiliser in Homa Bay.

President William Ruto is expected to roll out the distribution of the farm inputs in the next two weeks after the digital registration process is concluded.

The registration exercise which started by training national government administration officers(NGAOs) including chiefs and assistant chiefs is expected to take five days in the 40 wards within Homa Bay county.

Chiefs and assistant chiefs have already been given tablets which they will use to undertake the exercise.

County commissioner Moses Lilan and Deputy Governor Oyugi Magwanga witnessed the training session where the administrators were taught how to key in data on digital gadgets.

Before the information is put on the system (Open Data Kit), the administrator will first be required to put down the same data on paper that they have been provided with.

Some of the information they will collect from farmers who will benefit from the fertiliser include their name, ID number, location and name of the farm and nearest trading centre.

Administrators are also required to put their information on paper for accountability.

The information in the Open Data Kit (ODK) will be transmitted to the national centre where the distribution of fertiliser will be controlled.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of training at Kabunde social hall in Homa Bay Town constituency on Saturday, Lilan said the government has identified dealers who will be given the farm inputs to distribute to farmers.

“The dealers will ensure the commodities reach the targeted people. Homa Bay has two depots that will serve as the entries of the fertilisers to county,” Lilan said.

He said Homa Bay is among the top ten counties good for crop production and urged farmers to take advantage of the process to benefit from low-cost fertiliser.

According to Lilan, the new system will eradicate unscrupulous middlemen who blocked farmers from accessing fertilser and other government programmes.

“The programme is also meant to bring down the cost of food production,” he said.

Magwanga who is also Homa Bay agriculture executive said they welcome the programme on grounds that it will improved food production.

He said the county has large tracks of land that can be put to use to help bridge the gap in addressing food shortage.

“We have already bought tractors which will help us in ploughing farms. I urge farmers to register so that they can benefit from the necessary inputs for production,” Magwanga said.

Homa Bay government recently opened a flour milling plant in Suba South constituency called Kigoto Maize Mill.

Magwanga said distribution of subsidised fertiliser will enable their farmers to produce more maize and supply to the milling plant.

More than 22 extension officers will monitor crops in the field.

“We’re going to provide farmers with certified seeds and hopefully we’ll increase maize production,” Magwanga said.