CS Linturi Appears Before Senate Agriculture, Livestock And Fisheries Committee
Senator James Kamau Murango (left) chairing the committee meeting yesterday
By PSCU
Senate Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Committee, under the leadership of Kirinyaga Senator James Kamau Murango held a meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Mithika Linturi who they had summoned to answer to statements sought by Senators.
In his response on the statement sought by Nandi County Senator Samson Cherarkey, on what informed the decision to recommend the importation of 10 million bags of maize in the country when the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) has not currently opened up its stores to take up the crop currently being harvested by local farmers across the country, considering the high cost of inputs where one bag of fertilizer was selling at KSh7,000 incurred during the planting season among other costs, the CS appraised the committee on the measures taken by the Government to enhance uptake of fertilizer.
“Through NCB, the Ministry has entered into agency agreements with fertilizer suppliers for supply of fertilizers that are on demand by the farmers, a joint committee to facilitate monitoring and advice on remedial actions to be undertaken for seamless flow of the distribution of the subsidized fertilizer was established in collaboration with the Council of Governors,” Linturi said.
The CS further added that the Ministry issued guideliness to the County Governments to facilitate identification of alternative stores closer to the farmers where subsidized fertilizer can easily be accessed.
On a statement sought by Sen. Alexander Mundigi, on why subsidized fertilizer, under the government fertilizer subsidy programme is only distributed to the regional National Cereals and Produce Board stores and nit in the smallest devolved unit at the county level, the CS response read that the In recognition of the long distances to the depots, the Government requested the County Governments in collaboration with NCPB to identtify appropriate fertilizer selling stores within proximity to the crop production areas in order to achieve last mile distribution.
The process is going on and so far 44 selling centers have been opened in 12 counties to distribute subsidized fertilizer.
The CS assured the Committee that the government is aimed at addressing the challenges in the state of macadamia production and Marketing to improve on the profitability of the sector.
The committee also recieved submissions on the status of horticultural crop directorate, the statement on the operationalization of the Commodities Fund, A statement on the status of the National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive growth project in Vihiga, and a statement on the restocking and revitalizing Kenya’s Livestock Industry for economic stability and growth.
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