The country is expected to produce 38million bags of maize valued at shs 114 b.
Tran Nzoia county is expected to realize 4.6 million bags of maize valued at shs 13.8billion.The bumper maize harvest is to be achieved inspite of the Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease which affected 60,000 hectares of maize nationally with production losses ranging from 10% to 60%. The government has since appointed a Taskforce to provide a long term solution to the maize disease.
Other crops in the Rift Valley include wheat. The province is expected to produce 2.5 million bags valued at shs 8.7 billion this year compared to 2.3 million bags valued at shs 5.9 billion produced in 2011. Tran Nzoia county is expected to produce 1 million bags of wheat. Local wheat farm gate prices have increased from shs2,600 last year per 90kg bag to shs 3,500 this year.
Tea farmers in rift Valley province produced 174,000Mt valued at shs 52.8 million compared to 2011 when the farmers produced 184,000 MT of tea valued at shs 55.8 million. The impressive results are due to favourable tea prices, favourable exchange rates, and effective management by tea factories. Coffee as well registered impressive growth rates. Rift Valley Province produced 75,000MT of clean coffee valued at shs489 million. Coffee farming was supported by a loan of shs 81 million to coffee farmers in 2011.
Horticulture is the most rapidly growing sub sector in agriculture. The sub sector earned for the country shs 205 billion in 2011 compared to shs 186 billion in 2010. Rift Valley Province produced assorted horticultural produce valued at shs 55 billion compared to 2010 production of 1.8 metric tons valued at 48.1 billion.
