The writing is on the wall for ghost farmers who have been sucking up funds meant for genuine maize growers supplying the grain to the Government.
In addition to counting people in August, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) will do a tally of crop growers as part of the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census.
The census will be undertaken between August 24 and 25 and will cost the country Sh18.5 billion.“It (census of crop growing farmers) will to a large extent reduce cases of ghost farmers,” Planning Principal Secretary Julius Muia told The Standard on the phone.
He said that for the first time, farmers will be registered in terms of the acreage they own, the type of crops they grow and other factors.
It was not immediately clear why crop growing, which constitutes about 80 per cent of agricultural output, was left out of the last census even as animal production (14 per cent) was included.
The PS said the suggestion to have a census on farmers emanated from the Ministry of Agriculture that had also wanted to undertake a similar exercise.
The inclusion of the agricultural indicator in the eight censuses since 1948 comes at a time when President Uhuru Kenyatta, as part of his Big Four agenda, wants to ensure access to nutritious and sufficient food for all Kenyans by 2022.
“I am glad there is an emphasis on agriculture. We look forward to more information on agriculture,” said the Cabinet secretary for National Treasury and Planning, Henry Rotich, noting that the results would help the State to plan for agriculture – the largest contributor to GDP.
“Census is an important process on which the Government attaches great value due to the need of evidence-based planning,” said Rotich.
Without evidence of ownership of a farm, the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), which buys and stores maize on behalf of the State, has not been able to weed out fake farmers.
Besides buying maize, the Government also supplies cheap fertiliser, most of which ends up in the hands of brokers, who then sell it to farmers at market price.