This archive report was first published on 13 July 2021.
Published on July 13, 2021, a partnership has been established to benefit 1934 rice farmers in Bunyula, Busia County.
Magombe Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society chairman Christopher Gunyi explained that the manual harvesting system used by rice farmers from Bunyala Irrigation Scheme for five decades has resulted in significant crop losses.
According to Gunyi, rice farmers have been losing ten bags of rice per acre valued at Sh50, 000 each harvesting season due to the manual harvesting system.
“The manual harvesting system of rice by farmers from Bunyala Irrigation Scheme has been used for the past fifty years, resulting in huge crop losses due to the spillage of rice totaling to the tune of ten bags of rice amounting to Sh50,000 per acre,” he said.
Gunyi further stated that the loss of rice incurred as a result of manual harvesting has forced the cooperative society to liaise with various stakeholders who have provided the rice farmers with two combine harvesters privately owned by rice farmers from Mwea Irrigation Scheme.
Additionally, an Indian investor based in Nairobi has provided the cooperative society with another combine harvester, bringing the total to three.
Godfrey Wanjala, a rice farmer from Bunyala Rice Irrigation scheme and a member of Magombe Multi-Purpose cooperative society, expressed gratitude for the arrival of combine harvesters, which he believes will greatly benefit the rice farmers who had been relying on the manual system of harvesting.
