Mark Kapchanga
10 August 2009
Nairobi — Kenya will have to rely on massive importation of wheat to meet a looming shortage in the country.
As harvests continue to stagnate, more and more farmers are contemplating a shift to other crops come next planting season.
Formerly key wheat farming areas of Narok, Uasin Gishu and Nakuru are in a sorry state today.
The majority of farmers in these zones are now switching to maize and dairy farming.
Statistics indicate that this year's production will stagnate at last year's figure of 225,000 million tonnes even as demand surges.
Ministry of Agriculture projections state that the North Rift will produce barely more than four million bags of wheat against the country's annual consumption of 11 million bags.
Even the four million bags may, however, not be achieved due to erratic rainfall, the escalating cost of farm inputs and the dreaded wheat stem rust, which has swept these areas.
Though farmers have been getting financial support from the Agricultural Finance Corporation, The EastAfrican has established that the majority of wheat farmers lack the collateral required by AFC.
This has locked out most smallholder farmers, leaving them at the mercy of commercial banks.
Chairman of the Cereal Growers Association Hugo Wood told The EastAfrican that the government should device long-term measures to avert the perennial shortage of the crop.
"The government should offer subsidy for farm inputs especially at this time of economic crisis. Many farmers did not plough their lands this year because of limited access to finance," Mr Wood said.
The financial dilemma has even compelled farmers to use low quality seeds, mainly from previous harvests.
This has compromised the quality of wheat produced, making it prone to diseases and pests.
Currently, the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute is working on a strategy to develop a wheat variety resistant to UG99 fungus, called stem rust, which crop scientists say may wipe out more than 80 per cent of wheat globally.
The spread of the deadly disease, against which an effective fungicide does not exist, comes as world grain stocks reach the lowest in four decades.
United Nation's Food and Agricultural Organisation estimates show that the number of hungry people in the world will reach an all-time high this year, largely as a result of the ongoing global economic crisis.
The recently concluded short rains harvest in Kenya points to a decline in production due to poor rains, reduced area planted and high inputs costs.
Despite some declines in recent months reflecting the harvest of the 2008 main cereal season, prices in the region remain high.
A number of governments have removed domestic taxes and import duties on cereal sales in efforts to reduce prices," says a report from FAO.
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