Mwea MP Mary Maingi has urged the government to consider waiving debts of Sh99 million owing by rice farmers in her area.
The MP stated that the debt is impacting farmers’ incomes and that the government should assist to alleviate the financial burden, as it has done in other agricultural areas.
“I hear people talking about coffee debts being waived. Rice farmers are farmers too, waive that bill,” the MP told President Ruto during his visit to the county to launch and commission various projects.
In 2020, the national government waived Sh100 million debt owed by Kirinyaga rice farmers to the National Irrigation Board and which had led to water rationing.
The rice irrigation scheme started in 1954 and has 18,070 farmers with over 30,000 acres under irrigation farming.
MP Maingi also called on the government to establish a rice fund that will provide cheap loans to farmers, similar to the Cherry Fund, which provides credit to coffee farmers at an interest rate of three per cent.
