Farmers in Nyandarua worried rainfall delay will affect production

Crops planted in January after the short rains are now withering. [Muriithi Mugo, Standard]

Farmers in Nyandarua are counting losses following prolonged drought.

Crops planted in January after the short rains are now withering in the farms after the rains stopped.

The worst-hit Ndaragwa, Ol Jororok and Ol Kalou areas.

The farmers planted potatoes, peas and vegetables in January after the area experienced rains.

"We thought this was a windfall for us and went ahead to plant the crops. Little did we know that the rains were short-lived. We are now at a loss amounting to millions of shillings" said Maureen Wanjiru, a farmer from Shamata in Ndaragwa.

She regrets having invested more than Sh 100,000 in her cabbage farm.

Nyandarua Potato Farmers Association chairman Wilfred Kimaru said the crop farmers were the worst hit.

He said the crops worth over Sh20 million were now withering in the farms.
"The farmers are now feeding the crops to the livestock. This is after the rains stopped abruptly. It is a big loss to them" he said.
Kimaru regretted that most of the farmers had sought loans from financial institutions and risked being auctioned.

"Most of them have come to my office seeking assistance. We do not know what to do," he noted.
He called on the government to help subsidise the prices of planting materials once the rains resume.

"It is our wish that the prices come down. This is a plea from all our farmers," he said 
The county  Agriculture executive Dr James Karitu said the county was considering allocating funds to subsidise fertilizer prices.

"We are aware of the predicaments by our farmers. Once the supplementary budget passes, we will allocate funds to assist them to purchase the fertilizer at a lower price," he said.