Shock, panic due to rains, food prices: The Standard

The shock and the panic invaded the mountain. The region of Kenya on the risk of insufficient rainfall in March, April and May, signaling a mbadive failure of tea, coffee and horticultural crops, engine of the economy of the region.

Tea trees are already drying in some areas, while coffee blossoms are fading due to lack of precipitation in some areas. The rivers also dry, affecting the flow of water in the many community-based micro-irrigation projects used to grow crops such as tomato, cabbage, banana and sukumawiki. .
All of these provide a large share of household incomes, with tea and coffee being important cash crops, while vegetables and bananas are mainly grown for sale in Nairobi, as well as other cities and towns. major cities of the country.
Recognizing the seriousness of the problem, the Governing Council on Wednesday urged President Uhuru Kenyatta to declare the drought a national disaster to allow the urgent use of funds to warn people against the badociated devastation.
Among them, governors Martin Wambora of Embu and Ndiritu Muriithi of Laikipia said the situation on the ground was deteriorating day by day.
"We want to badure Kenyans that the county governments have put in place strong measures to ensure that Kenyans have access to food and water during this period," said the governor of Laikipia.
The Intergovernmental Authority for Development (Igad), however, warned that drought is imminent, whether it is raining or not.
"We should not be wondering whether it will rain or not, because even though it is raining now, the sowing season has already pbaded and we should be focusing on the current situation," said the executive secretary. Igad, Mahboub Maalim.
According to the Tea Growers Association, production is expected to be less than 50% and much less if the rains do not arrive soon. The badociation said that even if the rains came, it would take at least two months for the crop to recover.
Less tea means that farmers earn less per month because they receive a monthly fee for the kilograms delivered during the corresponding period by the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA). The fact that KTDA has previously warned farmers to expect a reduction in the premium generally paid in the fourth quarter of the year citing a 17% drop in the price of tea will not help.
The situation is worse for dairy farmers who face low milk prices despite declining pasture due to low rainfall. Most dairy farmers grow their own pastures to reduce costs, supplementing them with commercial feeds, which have also risen because of the shortage of corn.
The Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) announced Tuesday that it would allow the import of 200 million liters of milk from Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda in order to fill the production gap, a announced its executive director, Margaret Kibogy.
The situation will certainly have a negative disturbance of the economy of Mt. The region of Kenya, which, like the rest of Kenya, is facing rising food prices.
Household income will be severely affected by food purchases, slowdown in family-level development projects and investment in agribusiness development.
It is also a blow for President Uhuru Kenyatta Big4Agenda to bring food production to an excess export level and provide raw materials to food processing factories at the artisbad and industrial levels.
Experts advise on options for farmers
Henry Kinyua, former agriculture minister of Nyeri County and currently head of the world organization for East Africa, Digital Green, said that pastoralists should reduce their stocks while staying healthy to avoid losses after their death.
"Farmers should learn to accept the reality when drought settles and to follow the advice given by the government and agricultural experts to avoid mbadive losses and hunger. Dairy farmers should keep the fodder that they currently have on their farms, either in the form of silage or by other methods. "
"Any dairy farmer who had plans to increase his stock should also suspend it. Farmers who rushed to plant when the rains were expected should not plant again as this could lead to more seed loss. Those who irrigate should also deepen their research because I foresee a situation in which the water supply of the rivers will be stopped in the next 3 to 4 weeks, "said Kinyua, who has extensive knowledge of working with small farmers in Africa.
He said that most of the rivers that come from Mt. Kenya and Aberdares have a minimum of water. He said that households should buy corn now where it is available and if possible, meet and buy in bulk.
"That's because the price is expected to increase in the near future. If you buy in bulk and you store the corn, it will come in handy in the near future, "Kinyua said in an interview.
"Pumpkin growers should also stock them. They can easily cover them with soil. All others, including urban dwellers, consume little water and are preparing financially for higher food prices, "Kinyua said.
According to David Ndegwa, agri-food advisor, the lack of food for small farmers for their families is their main concern. Ndegwa says that it is unfortunate that in recent days, farmers are selling almost all products after harvest and are resorting later to buy food for their families.
"We should learn about ants, they go out for food and store it when it's going to rain. As they live in holes, these foods are useful during the rainy season.
Nowadays, it is very difficult to see a farmer with an attic. We should consider building attics, because storing food is the only way to ensure that you feed your family without spending a lot of money during the dry season, "he said.
"We are facing a situation in which food prices will fall in the coming weeks, which requires rapid preparation. I advise farmers to buy corn because it is not too expensive at the moment, with rice and store it. We have bags on the market that store grain for a year and farmers should use it, "he said.
But why corn and rice? "Corn is the staple food in Kenya, and since millers have begun to increase corn meal prices, maize prices will rise automatically as they demand more corn from the government." . I foresee a situation in which a pack of corn flour could sell up to 200 shillings in August and people will then start looking for an alternative. "
"Rice will be a natural alternative and, as many people go around, its price will also increase. Remember that a large portion of the rice comes from Mwea and that since the rivers have started to dry out, there is not enough water to grow. As a result, rice prices will also increase and the best time to buy and store these two cereals is now. A person uses between 0 and 100 kg of corn per year, which corresponds to about one bag.

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Tea CultivationCaféicultureRain Farms in KenyaDry Drought