Migori rice growers urged to adopt new high-yielding varieties

Migori rice farmers have been urged to adopt new varieties to boost production.

Migori Agriculture chief Linus Origa said new rice varieties developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRL) in conjunction with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) will help farmers get better yields.

He was speaking during a rice field day at the Lower Kuja Irrigation Scheme in Nyatike.

New varieties Mkombozi (08FAN10) and CSR36 mature within a period of 95 to 105 days, yield more, and are more tolerant to salinity. 

The CSR36 rice variety is a long slender grain, non-sticky rice that separates on cooking and widely appealing to rice consumers in Kenya

According to KALRO trials, the wide adoption of CSR36 by rice farmers in Migori and Tana River will significantly increase rice production and set the country free from imports.

Origa said the new variety will also increase income for farmers and enhance food security.

The county official also urged farmers to register for the national fertiliser subsidy programme.

Stakeholders from the IRRL and KALRO took the Nyatike rice farmers to demonstration farms in the scheme where they unveiled the two high yielding varieties.

In 2022 the scheme opened 1,200 acres for paddy with an estimate of more than 5,000 tonnes harvested and Sh200 million generated.