4,000 farmers to have their land tilled by Busia County tractors

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About 4,000 farmers  will have their  farms tilled by Busia  County  Government tractors  ahead of the planting season,  County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture and Natural Resources  Dr Moses Osia has revealed.

Speaking  when he made a tour of the farms  that  are being tilled by  County tractors in Matayos, Nambale and Teso South Sub Counties, Dr Osia  said the county was offering better rates of  Sh2,000 per acre  compared  to over  Sh4,000 by private  owners.

” There are 15 tractors which are functional  after  undergoing  repairs. We are targeting  at  least 10 acres  per tractor  and 150 acres in total per day   to meet the rising demand.

Teso South leads  in the number of  farmers seeking for tractor  services followed by  Teso North, Nambale and Butula. However,  Nambale leads in the number  of acreage  set aside for  farming followed by  Teso North and Teso South,” he said.

The CEC said the number of   farmers who till their land using hoes  stands at 60 per cent while those using oxen stands at 20 per cent.

He urged  farmers  to make use of extension officers  who are stationed in every sub county  to be advised on better farming practices and how to access tractor services.

Dr Osia revealed the National Government  will avail 29 tractors to the County by July, 2018  to bring to 44 the total number of tractors that will be available to agriculture farmers  and excluding 11  that the County bought for  rice farmers in Bunyala.Engineer Musa Otieno  who is attached at the  Agriculture department  said Bukhayo West  has bought one additional tractor from the Ward Fund which has boosted the number of acreage  to be tilled by the County  Government.He urged farmers to remove  stones and logs from their farms  to avoid  tractor breakdowns, adding that they are ready work  late to ensure  they meet  their target.A farmer from Buyosi village in Matayos  Gertrude Nafula  thanked the County Government  for offering to till her  3 acre land at an affordable rate of  Sh2,000 per acre and urged other farmers to follow suit.