This archive report was first published on 17 June 2020.
Published on June 17, 2020, a devastating flood has struck the Perkerra Irrigation Scheme in Baringo County, destroying a key maize seed farm.
According to Wafula Simiti, the scheme manager, at least 120 out of 2,300 acres of land under maize seeds production have been flooded, with an additional 3,000 acres of farmer-managed schemes submerged.
The loss is estimated at Sh21 million, and the flooding may impact the next maize planting season. The affected farm had a capacity of producing 2,640 bags of 90 kilogrammes of seed maize and 480 bags for consumption.
The maize seeds grown at the scheme are for a short season and were expected to be harvested in August, September, and October. However, the flooding occurred during the flowering stage, severely affecting the crop.
"This is the first time that the main irrigation scheme is witnessing floods that used to affect farmer-managed schemes," said Simiti.
The seeds are sold at Sh6,500 per 90kg bag, and the average production of seed maize per acre at the irrigation scheme is 22 90kg bags. The seeds are supplied to Kenya Seeds Processing Company in Kitale for field trials and inspection of fungal diseases.
"Seeds grown at the scheme is for short season whose production is closely supervised by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service to ensure they meet quality standards," said Simiti.
