Mwea rice farmers raise alarm over snail infestation

Farmers at the Mwea Irrigation Scheme want the government to help them tame a growing snail infestation problem, which they say could adversely affect increased yields brought about by the completion of Thiba Dam.

The farmers say the dam's completion will greatly improve their farming.

According to the farmers, the snails eat transplanted seedlings, forcing them to repeat the exercise several times.

“Kweli wakulima wamekumbana na hii hali ya konokono. Kuna aina ya konokono ambayo iliripotiwa mwezi wa pili 2020 pale Tembere, na imeweza kuenea scheme mzima sasa,” Vincent Kosgei, a member of the Mwea Irrigation Agricultural Development, said.

Mwea farmers are calling on the government to supply them with pesticides to eliminate the snails that are proving difficult to control.

“Sasa hizo kono kono tunasikia ni watu wengine walikuja nazo, tukasikia zikakuja na mto, hatujui hatuwezi kuelezea vizuri lakini kwa vile tunaskia hiyo dawa imepatikana, haki watuletee tu tuweze kusaidika…tunafinyika sana,” Charles Murimi, a farmer said.

The Mwea irrigation scheme currently produces rice worth an estimated Ksh.18 billion annually. This is likely to increase in future due to the ongoing expansion from 25,000 to 35,000 acres under the crop.

“Vile mlivyojua tulianza tukiwa na 25,000 acres na target ya serikali ilikuwa ni kufikisha 35,000 acres wakati ujenzi wa Thiba Dam unaisha na expansion ya irrigation scheme imeisha,” Innocent Ariemba, Manager, National Irrigation Authority (NIA), noted.

The expansion of the Mwea Irrigation Scheme will further see the increase of farmers working at the scheme from a current number of 11,200 to 14,000.

“Currently scheme ikona about 11,200 farmers na tutakapomaliza hii project, number of farmers itafika around 14,000,” Ariemba added.

The expansion of the scheme is among measures to increase food production in the country to address food shortage problems that continue to pose a challenge to Kenyans.