Not yet freedom in
Nyandarua
Dairy farmers are
facing wrath of poor road infrastructure in Nyandarua county, years after
devolution was introduced.
The farmers are calling on their county government
to move fast and improve road infrastructure to reduce their suffering in
transportation of their produce to the market.
In Sujui village, a
resident Paul Kariuki said millions of
shillings worth of farm produce go into waste annually, owing to the poor road
network in the agriculture rich county.
“The middle men smile
all the way to the bank as the farmers are forced to deliver their produce
through the rough terrains,” said Kariuki.
A survey by The
Mountain Journal found that a bag of potatoes trade at Sh800 when delivered to
a broker, which is later sold at more than Sh3,000 in Nairobi.
During an early morning, we found motor cycles
struck in the mud following heavy rains pondering the county sitting on the
slope of Aberdare Ranges.
The farmers, who also
noted that last season’s maize crop was still in stores, said they relied on
donkey carts and motorcycles to ferry their produce to the markets.
“We farm
enough food to feed the nation but all end up in waste. The milk fetches low
prices and potatoes are rotting on farms,” cried Kariuki, noting that the
roads had not been repaired for about 10years.
They appealed to
Governor Francis Kimemia to consider their plight, following their suffering.
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