The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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Authorities in Kericho county have apprehended four traders on charges of distributing counterfeit maize seeds to unsuspecting farmers.
The enforcement action spanned across Chepseon, Litein, Kapsoit, Kapkatet trading centers, and Kericho town. It was part of an ongoing operation carried out by personnel from Kephis, the police, and Kericho county government officials.
Some of the unethical traders were caught red-handed, using red oxide to dye the seeds in an attempt to deceive farmers into believing they were legitimate, certified seeds, while in reality, they were selling substandard products.
Simeon Maina, the interim Director of Seed Certification and Plant Variety Protection at Kephis, lamented that the proliferation of fake seeds has adversely affected the government’s endeavor to boost crop production, particularly under the fertilizer subsidy initiative initiated a year and a half ago to diminish reliance on food imports.
Kephis officials noted that several of the apprehended traders were peddling seeds in the open market without proper packaging or the requisite Kephis certification sticker.
Speaking at a press briefing in Kericho town, Maina disclosed that the implicated traders, operating as agrovets, lacked the annually renewed Kephis license mandated for their operation.
He emphasized that the crackdown on seed merchants and agrovets is being carried out nationwide across all 47 counties to ensure farmers have access to authentic, certified seeds, thereby stimulating production, mitigating losses, and combating the spread of pests and diseases.
