Unga resurfaces in abundance

As farmers in Kirinyaga County start harvesting their maize crop, maize flour which has been missing in most outlets is now in abundance.

Most of the outlets are no longer even restricting consumers to the number of packets of Unga they can purchase in one go.

Leading supermarkets in the area have in stock all brands of Unga and the customers have a choice which to buy.

''I was surprised when I went to look for Unga in one of the supermarkets when I found all brands of the commodity are in abundance from the government controlled Sh90 to anything with no restrictions at the number of packets one wishes to buy,'' said Rosaline Njoki.

On the other hand, farmers in the area have started to harvest their maize crop which has certainly reduced the over dependency on Unga from the shelves.

A bumper harvest is underway as the season was favored by heavy rainfall unlike the previous season where farmers had nothing to put into their stores.

One farmer Muriuki Njiru from Kanjuu village in Kirinyaga East Sub-county and who has started to harvest the crop said he planted the right maize seed and applied the right husbandry.

''If you plant on time, the right seed and practice proper crop husbandry with adequate rainfall, you are guaranteed of a good harvest,'' the farmer said.

The maize crop for the season in the county is promising good harvests right from the upper zone to the outlying Mwea plains.

The farmers have however asked the county government to assist them deal with post-harvest challenges which make them end up losing almost 30 per cent of the crop.

''We expect the area agricultural extension officers be on the ground to assist us with post- harvest problems like pests as we embark on harvesting our maize,'' Njiru said.