Tharaka Nithi County government led by the Governor Muthomi Njuki and area MCAs has delivered to the locals certified seeds to prepare for the incoming planting season.
Under the week-long exercise scheduled to cover each ward in the county, the governor will keep distributing maize, beans and green grams seeds.
With the programme having commenced on Wednesday, the governor has toured areas of Muthambi, Chogoria and Ganga wards after successfully distributing the seeds in Marimanti and Chiakariga wards before proceeding to wards in Chuka/ Igambang’ombe constituency.
The certified seeds programme facilitates the hardworking farmers from the county to produce more food as their quality is considered to be way higher than the seeds farmers purchase in stores.
The governor pointed out that the devastating effects of the pandemic put farmers at positions where they couldn’t procure the favourable variety of seeds as prices had been inflated.
“Because of challenges brought about by Covid-19, we have embarked on cushioning farmers by availing free high yielding certified seeds,” announced Governor Njuki at Nkondi.
Njuki said the initiative has been in motion for five years and during this term, the county’s produce shot up boosting livelihoods and loosening the drought’s grip.
However, the governor clarified that they did not help the farmers with the seeds because they were incapable to buy. Instead, they want to better agriculture through approved seeds to grant the area transformation in the agricultural sector.
“The people will discover the benefits of the certified seeds unlike the counterfeit seeds they have been using,” explained Njuki.
He explained that due to this beneficial programme, commercial farming would later on thrive prompting the government to double the seeds’ aid.
The beneficial initiative which had just commenced is bound to benefit all members of the county through the governor alongside MCAs in the seven sub – counties.
Nkondi, Gatunga and Mukothima wards in Tharaka sub county were first to benefit from the initiative under the keen supervision of their MCAs Mutegi Rugiya, Mwenda Gataya and Muthini Karangi respectively.
The three wards located on the drier part of Tharaka Nithi received green gram seeds which are their main crop and is favourable in the area which receives moderate rainfall.
For the region, the March to May long rains are very crucial in providing the county with adequate food and also empower the farmers economically as most of the harvest is sold.
By Steve Ireri
