Farmers risk losses as birds invade wheat

By Kipchumba Kemei

Narok farmers have started counting losses following the migration of an estimated 3.5 million quelea birds to wheat fields.

The destructive birds, which invaded the farms last week, migrated from lakes Magadi and Natron in Tanzania where they breed.

Agriculture Officer Maurice Suji said yesterday the pests have the capacity to eat about 25 tonnes of wheat estimated at more than Sh1 million a day.

The birds migrate annually to wheat farms. Some farmers have abandoned wheat farming because of the menace.

Narok is the biggest producer of wheat in the country. This harvesting season farmers expect to harvest between 1,800kg and 2,400kg an acre up from between 450kg to 900kg in the past three seasons.

Team dispatched

Mr Suji said the ministry had sent out a plane from the Desert Locust Control Organisation to control the pests.

"The ministry has also dispatched surveillance team from the Crop Protection Unit who will work with agriculture field officials to monitor the birds’ movements," he said.

Suji said wheat farms Ntulele, Mosiro, Mashariani and Nkorinkori were the most affected.