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GOVERNMENT has adopted a new producer pricing policy aimed at luring more farmers to grow small grains, especially in regions where they do well, a senior official has said.
In an interview with New Ziana at a field day in Zaka recently, Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development permanent secretary, Dr John Bhasera, said Government had put more incentives on all traditional grains in order to lure more farmers to produce them.
“In terms of our pricing policy, we put in a certain climate change adopting incentive in all traditional grains so that traditional grains will be the conventional crops.
“For example, a traditional crop, sorghum, we are looking at a 25 percent incentive on top of the maize price in order to lure more farmers,” said Dr Bhasera.
“We encourage more farmers to produce traditional grains so that ultimately we can climate proof our agriculture, we are saying they are less vulnerable to climate change effects.”
He encouraged massive countrywide adoption of traditional grains saying Government programmes were targeting to distribute the traditional grains, which are climate smart such as sorghum, millet and others that are also tolerant to climate change effects. – New Ziana
Tinaye Agere
Online Reporter