There is a ray of hope for rice farmers in Tana River after the government started reviving the Tana Delta Irrigation project.
Ten years ago, the project stalled affecting thousands of farmers. But now its revival is set to resume the mass production of rice.
Already Tanariver Development Authority who are the custodians of the project completed the development of the Intake at Kitere and the desilting of the Canal providing water at the Sailoni Rubber Dam.
Further, the Authorities rehabilitated primary and secondary canals providing water to the paddy fields and preparations are going on in 100 acres to begin rice production.
Tanadelta irrigation project has a capacity of producing 12,000 ha of rice and to achieve that Tarda intends to engage the local communities and only play a facilitatory and advisory role.
Hundreds of farmers within the Tanadelta are set to benefit once the project kicks off in form of employment.
Arid And Semi Arid Lands (ASAL) Principal Secretary Idris Dakota toured the project today to inspect the progress and was taken to Kitere at the Main intake, the rubber dam, and at the farm where clearance is going on for rice production to begin.
Dakota who was accompanied by the TARDA Managing Director Liban Roba Duba said they would use an integrated approach where they will engage local communities in the project to do rice farming.
In an interview with journalists during the tour, the PS said the government was committed to reviving the project and ensuring all the mechanical processes are back in operation.
“When we came in our initiative is to revive this project and feed into item number one of the government’s agenda which is Agriculture and food security so TARDA, as you have seen, has the potential to feed not only this county but the entire country and the globe,” he said.
Dakota said the focus is to improve on the mechanization part, structures around, and the livelihoods of the community around.
He urged the Tanadelta Community where he also hails from to support the project adding that as a government they will engage all communities around, stakeholders including other ministries and the county government.
Communities members interviewed thanked the government for reviving the project and asked the authorities to speed up the process as it will go along to create job opportunities and address the issue of food security.
Golo Abdala a resident of Bandi village in Tanadelta said the project will not benefit the area residents but the whole country as it will bring together people from all walks of life with different expertise who will work there.
” Locals here have benefitted a lot because the income they used to get is the one they used to buy goats and cattle and uplift their living standards,” he said.
David Levi from Hewani Village in the area said since the project collapsed life has really been tough because many residents lost jobs.
Currently, Levi who has three children in the university said is facing it really tough but had the project been running he would not be faced with such challenges in paying fees.
“Currently i have one child who is out of school because of fees because i have no source of income which used to come from this project,” he said.
Levi said life is going to change for the better once the project is revived and it will not be hard to educate their children.
