Government allocates shs 1 billion to buy rice from farmers in Mwea

The government will start buying rice directly from farmers in Mwea sub county, Kirinyaga county with effect from the beginning of 2019.
The government decision will ensure that rice farmers in Mwea rice growing belt are treated like their maize farming counterparts from the Rift valley.
According to Mwea MP Mr.Kavinga Wachira, the government has allocated Shs 1 billion annually to buy rice from the farmers in the area.
Mr. Wachira said the inclusion of rice crop in the strategic food reserve will not only provide market for the farmers but improve prices for the Mwea rice.
He said the new arrangement will get rid of unscrupulous traders who for a long time exploited farmers.
Wachira said farmers will now be able to deliver their produce to National Cereals and Produce Board just like other farmers do.
Wachira at the same time said he will table a motion in parliament that will outlaw selling of horticultural crops like tomatoes using crates.
He said the bill specifies that traders will be forced to use weighing machines rather than creates which was exploitive to the farmers.
“The use of weighing machines will be a big advantage to the farmers since they will receive the actual value of their crop,” Wachira said.
Wachira was speaking at Makutano area in Mwea West Sub County during the burial of Antony Chege, brother to Mutithi ward MCA Peter Njomo who died as a result of a road accident along Makutano Sagana highway
Wachira said he required the designer of the section of the highway to explore possibilities of erecting road bumps in order to avoid more deaths along area.
He said the Ngurubani – Embu and Makutano Sagana road section should be declared as black spot.
The MP said Kirinyaga County was solidly behind President Kenyatta who has been instrumental in the provision of Sh. 200 million waiver for rice farmers.
He also lauded Deputy President William Ruto for assisting in the release of Shs 450 million compensation for farmers affected by the ongoing construction of the Thiba dam.
“We are sticking with the person who looks and addresses our challenges, and that is why we are fully behind the President and his Deputy ” he said.
The deputy governor Peter Ndambiri said they will not relent in the campaign to have the Commission for Revenue Allocation to increase funding for Kirinyaga County.
Ndambiri termed as unfair those counties that give the least revenue receiving the highest allocation including the Equalization Fund.
“This is why we insist, this year’s census must establish the actual number of the people in the constituencies which will later be used to determine the revenue allocation.
By Irungu Mwangi