Posted on May, 14, 2019 at 09:00 am
Yusuf Masibo - MediaMax Network
Agriculture Cabinet secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri has assured the Council of Governors (CoG) the ministry is working round the clock to ensure enactment of necessary regulations governing coffee, sugar, horticulture food crops and tea farming.
“I am delighted to report to you that after years of stakeholders negotiations, the National Assembly early this week passed the Crops (Irish Potato) Regulations, 2019,” said Kiunjuri.
He urged counties to align their agricultural programmes with emerging climatic changes to cushion farmers from losses.
“We need to shift focus to rain fed agriculture instead of depending on rains for farming. All our programmes need to align with the changing climatic conditions because climate change is emerging as a threat to agriculture,” said Kiunjuri.
Earlier, the county bosses had accused the ministry of frustrating the implementation of devolved functions. CoG chairman Wycliffe Oparanya said despite the sector being fully devolved, the National government was still holding onto resources for the function.
Oparanya claimed the Ministry has been dragging its feet in developing key agricultural legislation meant to facilitate transfer of the functions as required by the law.
“The issuance of all agriculture licences (with an exemption of export and import licences) should be ceded to counties and be reflected in all regulations with immediate effect,” he said.
The governors asked the ministry to implement the Legal Notices 137-164 of 2013 which devolved agriculture functions to counties.
“As per the Constitution and Legal Notices 137-164 0f 2013, availing of input subsidies was transferred to counties. This, therefore, means that we have full powers to procure and distribute farmers’ inputs as per the identified needs,” said Oparanya.
They claimed that the ministry was clinging on the National Cereals and Produce Board, Kenya Dairy Board and Agricultural and Food Authority, all which have been undertaken by the National government.
Speaking during a consultative meeting between ministry offcials and governors in Mombasa, he said functions should be commensurate with resources.
Climate change
“Since 90 per cent of agriculture has been devolved, the financial allocation should be commensurate to the constitutionally mandated roles and responsibilities by either level of government,” said Oparanya.
Makueni governor Kivutha Kibwana said counties are struggling to align themselves with changing climatic conditions and urged the ministry to allocate more resources for irrigation.
CoG Agricultural Committee chairman Muthomi Njuki claimed the sector was not performing optimally because of encroachment of its functions by the ministry.
Source: MediaMax Network