The Muranga County Government on Monday launched a Sh320 million annual milk and mango farmers’ subsidy voucher programme that will benefit 41,000 farmers.
Dubbed Inua Mkulima, the new programme is an advanced version of the preceding cash subsidy programme. The new initiative will see farmers issued with cards that they will use to pay hospital and secondary school fees, redeem agriculture inputs in agrovets and obtain foodstuffs. The amount is capped at Sh2,400 per every three months.
While speaking at the launch in Kariara Gatanga at Kigoro Dairy Co-operative Society, Governor Irungu Kangata explained why his administration changed the model saying the move was to benefit more producers.
"The benefits that will go to the farmers will increase. 73 percent of farmers were getting county support that is lower than Sh800 per month. This new move will standardise support and ensure most farmers get more county support, " Governor Kangata said.
He further disclosed majority of farmers did not employ their earnings towards healthcare insurance. The new card, he said, will afford farmers healthcare support but it will start in October for that specific hospital support once Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) comes into place in July.
The county boss explained that Muranga has two ecological zones - upper and lower zones. He explained the lower zone farmers grow mangoes and the county has helped commercialisation of the fruits and that the subsidy will benefit the whole region.
Murang'a farmers during the launch of Inua Mkulima programme by Governor Irungu Kangata at Kigoro Dairy Co-operative Society.
Photo credit: Joseph Kanyi| Nation
For upper zone, milk cuts across the tea and coffee belts hence the county support.
Inua Mkulima card is technologically enabled in partnership with the Co-operative Bank of Kenya. The county will be able to know real time expenditure of farmers and enable planning.
Further it is safer and efficient as farmers have to physically present themselves before a service provider.
"A farmer needs to join a major Cooperative to benefit. This programme gives farmers power for bargaining better prices," Mr Kangata said.
The new card will start being used from April 1, and farmers can begin to enjoy the benefits except hospital support that starts in October.
For a farmer to redeem support, he or she needs to approach an agrovet or a shop or a secondary school and give the card plus a mobile phone number. Thereafter, a code will be sent to a farmer’s phone and goods desired issued.
The price of goods taken is automatically reduced from the farmer’s digital wallet. A copy of the statement is sent to the farmer’s phone.
Mr Kangata said the exercise to verify farmers list is ongoing from Monday until March 22 in every ward in Muranga County.
"Inua Mkulima is a new concept," Mr Kangata said adding that the farmers are to get Sh2400 per season for four seasons a year.
Under the previous cash programme, large scale farmers scooped the lion's share unlike the voucher where a majority will be small scale producers.
Tea is the major income earner in Murang’a followed by milk which earns local producers about Sh8 billion annually and coffee (Sh3 billion).
"Milk has the biggest impact per family. The idea is to increase what every farmer was getting and to equalise so that no one earns more and no one earns less," Mr Kangata said.
Under the New Subsidy Programme, the County Government intends to change the benefits from Cash to a Voucher Card that farmers can redeem to get animal feeds, mineral salts and other supplements, vaccination and artificial insemination, seedlings, fruit fly trap and even human foodstuff like wheat and maize flour, cooking oil and rice among other benefits at preselected shops and stores.
Farmers who fail to physically attend the registration exercise will be left out in the new subsidy programme.
Already 20,000 farmers have been registered for the subsidy programme with the county targeting 21,000 more.
Mr Kangata who is serving his first term as governor has been focusing on improving agriculture via Inua Mkulima and healthcare through KangataCare in the county and automation of services to improve locals’ lives.
Mr Kangata has also announced plans to revive the Murang’a Co-operative Creameries with its opening set for next week.
