The government plans to convert failed maize crops into animal feed to help farmers recoup losses from depressed rainfall, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has said.
Kindiki spoke on Friday, July 24, during a meeting with Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries at the Official Residence in Karen, Nairobi to coordinate a response to reduced rainfall affecting the country's food baskets and to plan for El Niño rains expected later in the year.
"I assure the country that the government is seized of the matter of what has happened this season and what is projected to happen later this year," said Kindiki.
"We are taking all possible measures to prevent any part of Kenya or any citizen from suffering from lack of food, famine and to support farmers to make sure they don't get disrupted because of the unfavourable weather,” he added.
The DP said maize crop that failed to mature in some growing areas would be repurposed rather than written off as a total loss.
"We are looking at modalities of using the crop that failed for making animal feed so that farmers can get some income from the crop even if it has not matured," Kindiki explained.
Heavy rains are forecast between October and December. The administration plans to ensure mature crops are harvested on time, then dried and stored properly to avert post-harvest losses.
"We are also looking at assisting farmers to prepare for the coming El Niño rains projected later in the year. We are focused on farm inputs and farm preparation," he noted.
Kindiki said the government would keep meeting weekly to review preparedness.
"The government will go out of its way to make sure that this situation will not affect the food security of our country," noted Kindiki, adding, “We met this morning to look at some of the immediate interventions we need to make. We have agreed to continue meeting every week to make sure there is enough preparedness for any eventuality."
The meeting brought together Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku, Environment Principal Secretary Festus Ngeno, EAC Affairs Principal Secretary Caroline Karugu, Special Programmes Principal Secretary Ismail Madey and Kenya Red Cross Secretary General Ahmed Idris among others.
