Nyamira farmers resume maize production

Farmers in Borabu, Nyamira County have embarked on restoring maize production in the area after farms suffered from disease attacks and the effects of adverse climate change.

For a long time now, the farmers have been battling Lethal Maize necrosis, a viral disease that has been hugely compromising yields from farmlands in Borabu, an area popularly referred to as Nyamira’s food basket.

The main production area of Borabu covers nearly 80 per cent of the rich agricultural settlement scheme where there are large parcels of farmland.

But over nearly 15 years now, the region has witnessed reduced maize harvests, a factor that has highly compromised the level of food security of the once self-sufficient county of Nyamira with harvests per acre reducing from 20 sacks to less than 10.

Peter Nyarige, the lead farmer steering the revolution in maize farming said already more than 5,000 farmers drawn from the Constituency have been listed to start piloting of the newly founded maize species Hybrid 4141 in their farms.

The farmers have started trials of the new hybrid seeds developed by Yara Seeds, a private company. Nyarige said some of the farmers have already been trained on best husbandry practices.