Siaya Farmers Receive KES 54 Million Worth of Subsidized Inputs to Boost Productivity

By Calvin Awora

Over 10 thousand farmers are set to benefit from KES 54 Million worth of Fertiliser and Certified seeds after H.E Governor James Orengo launched distribution today

While he presided over the ceremony at the County Headquaters, Governor Orengo noted that farmers will have access to affordable high quality inputs to help reduce production costs and address the issue of Soil fertility

“We have procured about 28 metric tons of certified maize seeds and 55.56 metric tons of planting and top dressing fertiliser of which farmers will purchase at a Subsidized rate of KES 200 per 2kg packet and KES 600 per 10kg bag respectively”, said Governor Orengo

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Additionally, the Governor said that a total of 230 million has been invested towards the Subsidy program during this long rain campaign, including 166 Million worth of Fertiliser being accessed through the E – voucher system at the National Cereals and Produce Board depots

Also present was the Chairperson, County Assembly of Siaya Agriculture Committee, Hon. Fredrick Omoro who said that he’s expecting the County’s average production to rise even higher after these heartwarming measures that are geared towards livelihood transformation

On her side, the Chief Officer for Agriculture, Food Security, Livestock and Blue Economy – Ms. Elizabeth Adongo urged interested farmers to visit Ward Agriculture Offices where they will not only have access to these inputs but also benefit from the services of qualified County extension staff in walking through the production process

She however mentioned that the inputs can never be enough for everybody and that this is just a catalyst to stabilise market prices and create an awareness that farm Mechanization, employing the use of quality inputs coupled up with good agronomic practices is the baseline to a bumper harvest in Siaya

The County is further providing subsidies that also cover commercial value chains including rice, cotton, sunflower and others.