About 9500 farmers in Nakuru county have benefited from 40
tonnes of certified maize seeds from the county government of Nakuru.
The seed distribution exercise, which is targeted at the less privileged
members of the society and people living with disabilities, was flagged off by
Nakuru Deputy Governor David Kones.
Kones said that the county sought to ease the burden of
genuine farmers who possess land but often lack access to vital farm inputs.
“We are also set to distribute a total of 19096 avocado seedlings
to farmers this Friday,” he said.
The event is expected to be supported by all county
executive committee members.
This, according to him, is part of the executive's plan to distribute 58571 avocado seedlings targeting 37 wards in order to promote avocado farming as a key driver of households’ income.
Those who benefited from the 2 kg packets of maize seeds
expressed gratitude to the county government for coming to their rescue in
their time of need.
Among them is John Koech from Lolwet Kapkures, who said that this was his first time to benefit from the free seeds, saying that it was a major boost for him.
“I had been struggling to get seeds to plant my farm. I was
almost giving up,” he said.
Another beneficiary, Elizabeth Kamau from Menengai West ward, said that it was thoughtful for the county government to include people living with disabilities in the programmes, quipping that they are normally forgotten in many government programmes.
She said that the move is likely to improve harvest in the county and assist it in retaining its top ranking as a national breadbasket.
The chief officer in the department of trade, Newton Mwaura, said that his department has further distributed 18569 bags of free fertiliser
to 3656 farmers.
He said that the fertiliser was transported to several
distribution points, minimising long queues at national cereal and produce
depots as well as engaged over 80 youth in temporary employment, supporting
both agriculture and youth livelihoods.
