Rice farmers, under the Bunyala Irrigation Scheme, are set to save on the cost of production once the lower Nzoia irrigation project (LNIP) is commissioned, the principal secretary for irrigation, Ephantus Kimotho, has said.
According to Kimotho, huge electricity bills incurred by the scheme to pump water into the paddy fields were set to be a thing of the past as farmers will get water by gravity when LNIP begins operations.
He was speaking in Siaya town today during the Lower Nzoia Irrigation Project aggregators' conference that brought together stakeholders from Siaya and Busia counties.
Kimotho, who was accompanied by Siaya County Commissioner Norbert Komora, said farmers were expected to increase production as a result of the low operation and maintenance costs, adding that the money saved should be set aside for more inputs so as to increase production.
