It is disheartening every year to see farmers' bumper harvest rot in one county while other counties experience severe food shortages.
This problem can be solved if trade relations are established between the 47 counties. Livestock that die in the counties of the northern parts of Kenya during drought would find a ready market through exchange with what other regions need.
Such an arrangement would enable residents to get a ready market for their products to prevent losses and at the same time help enhance food security for the nation.
The 2010 constitution brought about a devolved system of governance with 47 county governments. The purpose was to bring services closer to the people. Counties should have healthy competition that promotes oneness and enhances trade for the common good of all Kenyans.
The North Rift region counties of Uasin Gishu and Trans Nzoia, the food basket of the nation, produce enough maize to feed the nation. However, farmers still complain about low prices and the challenges of accessing a reliable market.
Elsewhere in the counties of Turkana, Baringo and other parts in the North, people usually face hunger and high cost of foodstuff like maize flour.
Another notable challenge is milk production, where farmers struggle to sell raw produce directly to the consumer.
Farmers in many counties have the capacity to grow more crops but lack access to markets. The problem has never been production.
The focus should be on how to enhance trade between the counties. We need to address what happens before the produce reaches the consumer. We need to find what hinders the free flow of goods from one county to another and what can be done to change the situation.
Counties should enact new laws to address challenges of policies and levies to ensure farmers can transport their produce without spending more than what they get as profit.
The hard work and determination demonstrated by our farmers should be supported to make agriculture more attractive and to recognise its positive contribution to the nation's growth.
We should have a single, harmonised cess or fee charged on goods in transit to reduce the cost of transporting produce from one county to the other so that farmers and traders who want to move across counties are not discouraged because of unfavourable taxation.
The existing economic blocs like Noreb should be strengthened to build common markets. If Uasin Gishu focuses on grain milling and storage, Trans Nzoia could focus on seed production to promote trade. Such initiatives would foster value chain linkages among the devolved units.
Let us encourage and allow the free sale of goods and services across the counties, and remove unnecessary barriers such as heavy taxes, bans, endless licences, and roadblocks that make farm produce expensive and hinder the free movement of goods.
Communication officer, Uasin Gishu county government
