The County government of Trans Nzoia has acquired portable grain driers in a bid to cushion farmers from the adverse effects of post harvest losses brought about by spoilage during storage.
Trans Nzoia Governor Patrick Khaemba noted that the driers will come in handy for most farmers who’ve been relying on traditional methods to dry their cereals “It is estimated that farmers lose around 30% of their produce to post harvest losses. The losses lead to reduced productivity and income for farmers thus negatively affecting livelihoods,” said Governor Patrick Khaemba in Kiminini.
He challenged farmers to make use of the available driers, saying it will help to reduce the work load they’ve had.
Each of the five sub counties will have the portable driers, which have the capacity of drying 1000 bags in a day by reducing the moisture content to required levels.
He also challenged farmers to use certain gunny bags to store their cereals in order to prevent the adverse effects of Aflatoxin. Moreover, researchers at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) have developed a product called Aflasafe which will drastically reduce the aflatoxin state in maize.
Moreover, Governor Khaemba meanwhile called on the national government to convene a conference bringing stakeholders in the agriculture sector to chart the way forward on reviving the sector which is ailing. “There are so many policies that 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.
