Kenya National Federation of Farmers, Trans Nzoia branch wants the government to start economic stimulus programme to cushion farmers against the hard times farmers are currently facing.
The Association’s branch chairman William Kimoson while speaking to the press in Kitale on Wednesday said that if started, the programme will also help farmers to beat the climatic challenges that have seen some of them lose all the crop to erratic rains.
Mr. Kimosong at the same time called on the government to ensure that the Value Added Tax to 14 percent is reflected on farm inputs adding that reduction of prices of commodities has not been effected as expected.
According to Kimoson, levies such as cess paid by farmers to county governments should be scrapped to so that farmers get some profit from sale of their produce.
The Agriculture sector in Trans Nzoia and Kenya has been affected by the corona virus disease as farmers try to adhere to social distance guidelines by the ministry of health.
According to Kimoson, many farmers in the region have been forced to reduced workforce as a measure to adhere to the social distance guidelines.
He said many challenges facing farmers especially maize growers were enormous making most of them make losses owing to high cost of farm inputs and pesticides among others.
He said that both small scale and large scale farmers who depended on subsidised fertilisers were finding it difficult to farm after the government suspended the programme.
By Pauline Ikanda
