Posted on August, 1, 2019 at 10:44 am
By AGATHA NGOTHO Science Writer - The Star
Agriculture CAS Andrew Tuimur has said the country expects to harvest 34 million bags of maize, 11 million bags less than last year's 45 million.
Tuimur attributed the decline in yields to a drop in the acreage under maize production for the long rains season from 5.4 million acres last year to 3.7 million this year.
The CAS said the harvest will be against an annual consumption of 52 million bags. Kenyans consume 4.2 million bags of maize monthly.
The deficit of 18 million bags will be met through imports from Uganda and Tanzania.
Tuimur said that farmers reduced the acreage under maize crop this season due to various reasons including a delay in rains.
“Due to the unfair weather conditions, farmers in the low potential areas shifted to horticulture crops while those in the high potential areas of the Rift valley planted wheat and pasture,” he said.
Tuimur said the lack of subsidised fertiliser and effects of the fall armyworm could also have contributed to the decline. But he said the attack of the pest this year may not be as bad.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the fall armyworm was first reported in Africa in September 2016.
In Kenya, the pest was reported in Western Kenya, Trans Nzoia, Busia and Bungoma counties in March 2017.
By last year, the pest had spread to 42 of the 47 counties and attacked 250,000 hectares of crops.
Cost of production
Timothy Njagi, a researcher from the Tegemeo Institute said that the cost of production this year was also likely to be higher than last year.
The cost was Sh1,800 per acre for large scale farmers and between Sh1,900 to Sh2,000 per acre for small scale farmers.
He explained that this could be brought about by the cost incurred by farmers in buying seeds and fertiliser to replant following the delay of the long rains.
Njagi said factors other than the delayed rains affected the acreage of maize crop.
“The delayed payments by the National Cereals and Produce Board last year led to the lack of capital to buy farm inputs for the long rains planting season,” he said.
Source: The Star