Big win for farmers in Uhuru's agricultural reforms

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday unveiled a Ksh 25 billion shillings stimulus package to jump start the hard hit economy occasioned by the Covid -19 pandemic. Speaking at the Mashujaa celebrations held in Kirinyaga County, the president ordered the agricultural CS to issue a framework targeting key production and service sectors.

Following this directive, farmers will be the highest beneficiaries of the stimulus package which will mainly seeks to widen the market for their produced products and offer better produce prices. This will be critical in putting money in the farmers pockets or improve the purchasing power.

The President also unveiled Ksh 1 billion to support fertiliser subsidies for small-scale tea farmers in bid to help raise the price of Kenyan tea in a sector that has been heavily vested by cartels over decades.

Image courtesy: rfi.fr

Additionally, the sugar sector was allocated Ksh 1.5 billion to be used for sugar factories maintenance and for the payment of farmer’s arrears which have been due for years.

On the coffee sector, the president allocated one billion shillings to support the ongoing reforms meant to root out cooperatives that prey on farmers; while the livestock sector will get Ksh 1.5 billion for the National Livestock Off-take Program to ease the drought situation in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALS).

While responding to the farmers cries over increased cost of animal and chicken feeds, he further directed that a framework be developed in order to reduce the costs within a period of seven days.

In other measures, the president also announced the resumption of the third phase of Kazi Mtaani program at a cost of 10 billion, eight billion shillings for the construction 10, 000 classrooms for the junior secondary learners  who are set to join by January 2023 and Sh3.2 billion for immediate construction of 50 additional Level 3 hospitals in densely populated areas in the country.

Featured image: Tuko news