Go for fast maturing crops, farmers urged
Farmers plant their crops in Homa Bay. Farmers have been advised to cultivate short-term and drought resistant crops. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Dr Irungu has advised growers to start planting this week as the weatherman forecasts that rains will start in the last week of March.
- Last year’s harvest declined by about six million bags as a result of an erratic weather pattern, which affected maize at the initial stages.
- Farmers, especially in the highland regions such as the North Rift are used to planting hybrid varieties such as 614 that takes about five months to mature.
Short-term and drought resistant crops are the means to beat erratic weather patterns, the government has said.
Ahead of the planting season, director of crops in the Ministry of Agriculture Johnson Irungu says farmers should embrace pulses such as beans and plant maize varieties that take shorter to mature.
Dr Irungu has advised growers to start planting this week as the weatherman forecasts that rains will start in the last week of March.
“To avoid possible losses, farmers are advised to plant crops that have shorter maturity period to make them safer in the event that rains fail,” said Dr Irungu.
“We are also advising them to start planting now so that when the rains come, they find the crop already in the soil,” he said.
Last year’s harvest declined by about six million bags as a result of an erratic weather pattern, which affected maize at the initial stages.
He said seed companies have come up with maize varieties such as DH2 and DH4 that take a shorter time to mature and can perform well with limited rain.
Farmers, especially in the highland regions such as the North Rift are used to planting hybrid varieties such as 614 that takes about five months to mature.
