Busia county has been picked by the national government to host a rice research institute that is meant to develop new seed varieties for lowland areas.
It will also focus on the demands of major market segments, including quality and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses.
Jane Ndung’u, the head of Rice Promotion Programme in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation, on Tuesday said Busia is the only county in Kenya to benefit from the funding from the Venezuela and Madagascar governments.
She said the Busia project will be funded to the tune of Sh400 million. It has undergone the design stage, with the Ministry of Public Works working on the designs before handed they are handed over to a contractor.
Ndung'u met with officials from the county Agriculture department led by executive Moses Osia. She said the money for the project is with the National Treasury.
Her two-day visit to the border county is meant to assess rice groups. The county will benefit from mechanised rice equipment, including mills and weeding machines.
“Rice is now a strategic food item that the national government has taken as one of its Big Four Agenda. We want Busia to add value to rice and uptake their rice in marketing,” he said.
Dr Osia thanked the government for picking Busia for the project. He said it will create jobs and help identify the best right variety of rice for growers. He said Bunyala will host the institute. Osia added that residents identified land that is enough to house the project.
