State bets on irrigation to plug 700,000 tonne rice deficit

Kenya currently imports more than 700,000 metric tonnes of rice per year.

Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Zachariah Njeru said expanding rice irrigation was part of efforts to make the country more food secure.

He said the government would ensure that the necessary mechanisation machinery and equipment are available to farmers.

Njeru said during a tour of the Sh3.8 billion Lower Nzoia Irrigation Project that the government would work closely with the county governments towards realisation of food security. The irrigation project cuts across Siaya and Busia counties.

He was accompanied by Irrigation Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho, National Irrigation Authority (NIA) chairman Gilbert Maluki, NIA chief executive Charles Muasya and board members Laban Kiplagat and Ubar Kahiye.

Njeru, who also toured Bunyala irrigation schemes, said phase one of Lower Nzoia Irrigation Project, will be complete by the end of this month.

“I want to assure farmers that within the next one month, they will be enjoying the waters of this multi-billion project,” he said.

Njeru told farmers that the project had been delayed because of challenges of compensating the affected families.

“We have completed the resettlement action plan, before moving to the next phase,” he said.

The CS praised farmers for embracing technology and use of fertiliser to improve their yields through the guidance of agricultural extension officers.

“As a government, we will continue to support you so that the problem of food security is addressed,” Njeru said.

He termed as shameful the persistent importation of food yet the region has great potential for production as well as hardworking farmers.

Njeru urged the farmers to utilise irrigation water provided to them in phase one of the project to increase their yields.

The CS also advised farmers to engage in value addition to gain more profit instead of selling the raw produce at lower prices.

He stated that the government was committed to ensuring that farmers achieve the best yields by providing the best seeds and training on best planting practices.

"Both the county and national governments are doing their best to see that farmers benefit from the project. We have been importing a lot of rice and if we empower our farmers then imports will reduce," Njeru said.

He cited the example of a farmer in Bunyala who previously produced 10 bags of rice but has increased his harvest fourfold to 40 bags with the application of best farming practices.

By May next year, Njeru said, about 4,407 hectares will be under rice production in both Siaya and Busia counties.

PS Kimotho said when completed the Bunyala irrigation schemes will produce 140,000 metric tonnes, which is equal to 20 per cent of the rice deficit.

The project covering Ugunja, Alego-Usonga and Budalang'i subcounties, is set to boost rice farming in the area, as well as mitigate the perennial flooding in the regions.

The World Bank and KfW Development Bank-funded project will benefit 12,600 farmers from Siaya and Busia.

More than 10,914 acres of land will be put under irrigation upon the project's completion. NIA said 5, 640 farmers are in Siaya and another 6,744 in Busia. In Siaya, 1,911 hectares will be irrigated, while 2,505 hectares will be put to use in Busia.

The PS said that with more than 4,047 hectares under production, some 56,000 metric tonnes of rice will be produced to address the rice deficit in the country.

Farmers will also grow high value crops such as fruits and vegetables in 2,023 hectares. Besides high value crops, they will also plant rice in rotation with soybeans, maize and other legumes in the other 2,023 acres.

It is projected that farmers will generate an estimated revenue of S 4.8 billion annually once the schemes are completed and operational.

Kimotho said the project will contribute to food and nutrition security in line with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.

He said the project will enable farmers in Bunyala to shift from pump-fed to gravity irrigation, which is cheaper. It will enable farmers to get enough water for irrigation through gravity and support an additional 10,000 acres of rice production.

The second phase of the project is expected to be completed by 2027 and to produce 140,000 metric tonnes per year.

The government also aims to put at least 25,000 acres of the Bura Irrigation Scheme in the coastal region under production.

Kithomo said that rice production in Ahero in Kisumu county and other schemes in the country will also be revamped to address the rice deficit.

"We are confident that in the next three years we should be able to produce 440,000 metric tonnes and bring it to one million metric tonnes by 2032 to ensure zero import of rice," he said.

Busia Governor Paul Otuoma said the project would lower the cost of production.

"We move from very high energy costs to the use of gravity to water our farms in about four weeks. That will put 22,000 acres of land under production and lower the cost of production," he said.

Otuoma said his administration was strengthening cooperatives and had come up with a cooperatives fund to enable farmers access government credit.

"We do not only want Busia to be one of the biggest rice producing areas but also want to be food reliant and ensure money goes directly into the pockets of farmers," he said.

Otuoma said his government was purchasing rice directly from farmers through cooperatives for its school feeding programme.

The Cooperatives Act, Otuoma explained, is undergoing amendments to strengthen governance in cooperatives and ensure farmers benefit from their sweat.

The plan to modernise cooperatives will weed out middlemen who exploit farmers in the rice value chain, Otuoma said.

Budalang’i MP Raphael Wanjala lauded the project and asked the government to reclaim more waterlogged lands in the constituency for meaningful crop production.

He asked the government to station at least one chopper at the Bunyala Irrigation Scheme to scare away birds that damage crops before harvest time, leading to massive losses.

Wanjala urged Otuoma to champion rice value addition like his Siaya counterpart, Governor James Orengo, who has built a rice milling plant at Siriwo in the neighbouring Usonga Ward.

“Rice can be value added to produce chicken feeds, wine and much more to increase farmers’ income,” he said.