Let Government tackle maize disease as a priority

Crop scientists in the country issued a stark warning last week that a deadly disease could devastate maize harvests in Rift Valley and parts of Eastern and lead to depleted stocks and possibly, famine.

The re-emergence of this disease is serious vindication of our country’s weak controls because it was first seen in Kenya in 2010 — and was reported to the Ministry of Agriculture, which at the time dismissed it as an isolated case. This ‘isolated case’ is has turned out to be a new variety of an old crop disease that is believed to be spread by plant hoppers.