The government has started introducing new rice varieties and climate-smart technologies to farmers to end the shortage of commodity in the country.
The country has been producing only 200,000 tonnes, against the required quantity of 800,000 tonnes annually.
The government is forced to import 600,000 tonnes to bridge the gap.
Lake Basin Development Authority managing director Wycliffe Ochiaga said the government is introducing the new varieties, which are climate change resilient to improve the crop production.
He said the country has not been able to produce adequate rice due to poor quality and change of climate.
The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (Kalro), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and LBDA partnered to come up with ways of increasing the crop production.
“The initiatives have been introduced to at least 250 farmers in Homa Bay. They are growing rice in Kimira Oluch, which is one of the mega irrigation schemes in the county,” Ochiaga said.
The Kimira Oluch Smallholder Farm Improvement Project in Homa Bay is an irrigation project that supplies water to more than 1,500 hectares (3,706 acres).
Ochiaga, Kalro’s Industrial Crop Development Institute director Finyange Pole and IRRI’s regional breeding lead in Africa Ajay Panchbhai urged the farmers to adopt the new varieties.
Some of the varieties introduced include komboka and 08 FAN10 (mkombozi). CSR36 will be introduced in June.
Ochiaga, who spoke during an agricultural field day in Rarut, Kochia, in Rangwe constituency on Wednesday, said the new rice varieties mature quicker than the conventional ones.
“The new rice varieties take three months or less to mature compared to the conventional varieties, which take four months. I urge farmers to embrace the new seeds,” he said.
Ochiaga assured farmers that LBDA will help them secure a market for their produce.
“Let farmers not worry about the market, because we have the capacity. Supply of locally produced rice is still huge,” he said.
Pole said their idea is to adopt the newly bred rice varieties that can do well and give more yield.
“Kalro has released several varieties of rice seeds and one of them is komboka, which farmers are seeing today. 08FAN10 also does well,” he said.
Pole said the new varieties are good because their production is almost double the traditional cotton varieties farmers are growing today.
He urged farmers to embrace the climate-smart technologies so they can plant rice directly into the farm without preparing a nursery bed.
Panchbhai said their objective is to empower farmers to ensure they have money besides food.
“It is unfortunate that farmers grow old rice varieties, which earn them poor yields. These new varieties will boost their income,” Panchbhai said.
Farmers Ezekiel Ogutu, Jonathan Oner and Josephine Aoko expressed confidence the new rice varieties and technologies will cushion them from too many expenses.
“We’re hoping to realise more production with the new varieties,” Ogutu said.
