In the recent years Kenya have hard difficult economic times, a factor that economist believe is because of government misplaced priorities or long term projects that Kenyans might not see the importance in the short run.
One of the most affected sector is agriculture, Kenyans have seen important segment of agriculture like Sugar and maize go down ashes just because the government focus is no longer on the two agricultural sectors.
Last year the government through National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) acquired an estimate of 6million bags of 90kgs of maize from farmers across the nation at Ksh. 3200. Then came the cattails who made a lucrative deal some making hundreds of millions from the money meant for genuine farmers, this caused a delayed payments to farmers, some ended up borrowing money from financial institutions in order to help them prepare for this years planting season.
But in what seems like the beginning of doomed year to farmers, the government introduced an 8% levy tax on fuel, this was likely to affect everything because farmers depends on fuel for preparation of farm, while most farm inputs are procured from oversees, farmers will be unable to get back to farming in the coming planting season with loans to pay and arrears from NCPB.
Speaking with Journalist in Trans-nzoia former Bidii ward Counselor and large scale farmer Mr. Fredrick Rono said farmers will be in trouble next year if the government is still insists on the gazetted price. Frederick says that in an acre piece of land he gets an average of 20 bags each year with Ksh. 2300 Frederick will get a return of Ksh. 46,000 this means that the output is much less than the input, He further says that preparations and farm inputs in an acre is almost Ksh. 35000 plus time that a farmer will have to wait for maize to mature. this is unjustifiable for the offer from the government.
Fredrick further says that for farmers like him it will be important if they change to beans because its doing well and of demand considering a schools do use beans for meals in schools.
In the recent years sugar industry started registering poor performance until recently when the government started importing sugar from Brazil and other sugar exporting countries like south Africa. Before this happened it was a source of livelihood for many Kenyans especially in Western Kenya.
Kenyans can guess the next step for maize farmers if sugar sector is yet to find solution years after the sector collapsed.
Farmers should engage in serious debate with leaders instead of politicizing every after debate that requires serious engagements to find permanent solutions in the sector.