NYERI, Kenya March 28-Kenyans should brace for a serious food shortage following an admission by the Ministry of Agriculture that it cannot be able to raise Sh32billion to offer subsidised farm inputs ahead of planting season.
The admission comes at a time thousands of farmers in the country’s food basket are preparing to plant during this long rains season but are unable to purchase inputs such as fertilizers whose prices have rocketed.
Speaking during a meeting with tea farmers at Gathuthi tea factory in Nyeri, Agriculture CS Peter Munya said that his Ministry requires Sh31billion to ensure inputs are brought to an affordable level but it can’t raise the funds due to budget constraints.
“At the moment we cannot be able to help our farmers due to the fact that a budget has not been formulated, we are stuck due to differences among MPs in the assembly so farmers should understand that our hands are tied,” said Munya.
Munya said that the high prices of farm inputs are a result of the Russian-Ukraine conflict and nothing can be done apart from offering subsidies to farmers to enable them to produce harvest enough for the country.
On tea reforms, Munya said that a forensic audit of all tea factories will be completed in two months so that desired reforms are met.
“At the moment we are almost finalizing audit reports however preliminary reports indicate that there was huge borrowing by previous directors in an underserving manner, in some instances, they borrowed while having their own money, a move that ate into farmers earnings,” said Munya .
Munya, however, said that they are in talks with Green fedha which is owned by farmers and other banks with a view of restructuring to ease debts that are a nuisance in the tea sector.
The CS noted that the reforms are being frustrated by cartels in the sector through court cases that are still pending.
“Many think that we are through with Cartels however this is not the case they are still there and that is why cases are dragging in court despite farmers through KTDA saying they do not want court cases,” said Munya .
Munya said that the hard-hit area by cartels is the coffee sector where ninety percent of issues are controlled by cartels.
