The Trans Nzoia county government has acquired portable cereal driers to prevent rot and post-harvest losses.
Governor Patrick Khaemba said the driers will help most farmers who have been relying on traditional methods of drying their grains.
“It is estimated that farmers lose around 30 per cent of their produce to post-harvest losses. The loss leads to reduced productivity and income for farmers thus huring livelihoods,” Khaemba said in Kitale.
Each of the five subcounties will have the portable driers which have the capacity of drying 1,000 bags in a day. The driers can be operated by a tractor or with electricity.
He also urged farmers to use hermetically sealed gunny bags for storage to prevent aflatoxin.
Aflatoxin is a highly poisonous cancer-causing chemical that contaminates cereals when poorly dried, often following heavy rainfall near harvest time.
Researchers at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation have developed a product called Aflasafe that will greatly reduce aflatoxin contamination in maize.
Khaemba called on the national government to convene all stakeholders in the agriculture sector to chart the way forward on reviving the sector.
“There are so many policies the Ministry of Agriculture has put in place but these strategies have not been implemented. We need to rejuvenate this sector which is a pillar in Kenya’s economy,” he said.
Edited by R.Wamochie
