Birds wreak havoc on Mwea rice crop
PHOTO | BONIFACE MWANGI Farmers at work at the Mwea irrigation scheme.
What you need to know:
- The Mwea scheme produces 80 per cent of rice consumed in Kenya and urgent measures are required to eliminate the birds to avoid a shortage
- Farmers who were anticipating a bumper harvest due to favourable conditions have expressed concern over the pests
Flocks of Quelea birds have invaded the Mwea irrigation scheme, leading to damage of the rice grown there.
The Quelea bird is known to have a voracious appetite for seeds and swarms can contain millions of birds, making them particularly destructive. (EXTERNAL LINK: Quelea - Africa's most hated bird)
The Mwea scheme produces 80 per cent of rice consumed in Kenya and urgent measures are required to eliminate the birds to avoid a shortage. The most affected areas are Mathangauta, Murubara, Wamumu, Tebere and Kimbimbi where rice is grown on a large scale.
Farmers who were anticipating a bumper harvest due to favourable conditions have expressed concern over the pests.
"Our hope is shattered since the birds landed in the area. It is becoming difficult to scare them," Francis Wanyoike, one of the farmers affected, said.
To counter the birds, farmers are now employing workers to scare the birds away, with three workers covering a single acre being paid Sh300 each. "It is becoming too expensive even to employ workers and most likely we shall not break even when we harvest and sell our produce," Mr Wanyoike said.
A local businessman, Charles Njiru Kaburu alias Mkombozi, who owns the multi-million shilling Nice Rice Millers Company in Ngurubani town and depends on produce from the scheme is a worried man. "There is hue and cry in the scheme because of the birds which are feeding on the rice crop. I'm also worried because 70 per cent of the rice which I process in my factory is from the scheme," he said. (READ: Giant miller who plants hope in semi-arid region)
APPEALS TO THE GOVERNMENT
Mr Kaburu appealed to the government to intervene quickly before the birds consumed the crop and put him out of business.
Area Member of Parliament Peter Gitau said he had received complaints from the farmers and promised to take the matter up with the Ministry of Agriculture. "Growers have been complaining about the destruction of their crop by birds. I'm really concerned and the Ministry should spray the birds and save the crop," he said, adding that it was the responsibility of the government to control the birds which were threatening food security.
