Murangá county Government has been urged to invest in extension services, research and innovation programs to ensure farmers are equipped with the necessary skills and resources to thrive in their farming activities.
In a report on farm inputs subsidy policy 2022- 2032, which was tabled by the chairperson of Committee on Implementation, Hilary Muchoki, the members of county assembly (MCA) said that the county government in partnership with the stakeholders needs to establish strong extension networks to support farmers in accessing the latest information and technology.
The committee observed that extension networks provide training on the best practices for farming, access to credit and financial services and assistance with market development and they will enable farmers to benefit fully from the county’s mango and milk subsidy program.
“Farmers are faced with technological challenges as most of them still use old technologies which are not sufficient enough to meet market demands,” he said,
The chairman stated that the government should put more efforts towards ensuring that the farmers are also equipped with the skills to identify and control pest and diseases effectively and sustainably.
He said that subsidy program has some challenges that include missing beneficiary names and incorrectly beneficiary names resulting in poor quality information on the number of beneficiaries targeted in the villages.
“The requirements for identification documents made some of the most vulnerable groups to be excluded from access to the subsidy,” he stated
Seconding the motion, Chefman Njoroge, MCA Kahumbu ward, however noted that the county government needs to put measures in place to ensure accountability from the farmers by ensuring real-time monitoring and keeping records of estimates of each farmer’s production ability to avoid fraud.
The report also recommended that the county should improve roads and transportation networks to enable mango and milk farmers take their produce to the market promptly.
The report recommends that the county government put in place structures that will create a level playing field for dairy farmers and establish structures and policies to enable them access ready market for their products.
By Purity Mugo and Anjilwa Francis
