The County government of Bungoma has released free and subsidized fertilizer and seedlings for maize farmers in preparation for the forthcoming planting season. Bungoma County Agriculture Director Onesmus Makhanu said 402 farmers in 43 wards will benefit from the free fertilizer project, while the number will reduce in Khalaba and Township wards since they don’ t have many practising farmers.
He assured farmers during the launch of the initiative that they’ll be getting standard seedlings and fertilizer to boost the yields since it’s the backbone of the economy. John Wasike, the Chief Officer in the Agriculture Ministry asserted that they’ve put in place all the required mechanisms to help farmers in the grassroots, saying they’ll ensure by next week all the wards in Bungoma County have received the subsidized fertilizer. However, he cautioned them against misusing it, revealing that previously, some ended up selling what they had received.
The Agriculture CEC Matthews Makanda applauded the efforts of the agriculture offices at the grass root level, saying they’ve worked hard to elevate the agricultural rich County by working with the farmers. He said the County government will conine with the initiative of giving out free subsidized fertilizer to farmers in the coming years in order to enhance food security in the County.
Leaders who attended the launch including Soysambu ward MCA Stephen Wafula, Misikhu ward MCA Milliah Masungo and Elgon ward MCA Hillary Kiptalam, urged the County government to ensure they quickly transport the fertilizer to their wards so that farmers can start planting in good time. They also requested the Ministry to release the County tractors in good time to till the land for farmers at a subsidized rate.
