The Agricultural Financial Corporation will extend loan repayment terms to farmers and herders, especially those in arid and semi-arid areas.
The Agricultural Financial Corporation Chairman, Franklin Bett, says the decision is based on weather uncertainties that led to farmers incurring huge loses and thus unable to repay loans in the stipulated timelines.
Former National Assembly Speaker Francis Ole Kaparo said Laikipia was largely arid and semi-arid area and farmers and herders had been adversely affected by drought making it difficult to meet their loans repayment period on time.
Kaparo questioned why the region was sidelined by the national government in classifying counties like those in need of relief food.
He said that Laikipia borders Isiolo, Baringo and Samburu which are in the same ecosystem and was wondering why it was sidelined among the 13 counties.
Kaparo said he supported repaying of the loans by farmers, noting that at times crops and livestock are affected by bad weather and are unable to pay in time.
The training is done by AFC’s Women Affirmative Access Window (WAAW) in conjunction with the UN Women Kenya.
Governor Ndiritu Muriithi who attended the event urged farmers to approach agriculture as a business, adding that they should embrace irrigation.
Muriithi noted that in Laikipia in a period of two years, it has moved from 250 hectares to 3,750 hectares under irrigation which is an increase of over 14 times showing that the county had potential if farmers were trained on the best irrigation practices.
The two-day training for farmers targets Meru, Laikipia Nyeri and Nyandarwa counties.