- National Cereals and Produce Board and Kenya National Trading Corporation will be buying rice from the farmers.
- Mwea Rice Growers Multi-purpose Cooperative Sacco and other private rice millers will also be buying rice from farmers.
Image: HANDOUT
Rice production in the Mwea Irrigation scheme is set to hit record highs as farmers expect a bumper harvest this season.
Farmers are expecting to harvest more than 160,000 metric tonnes, according to the National Irrigation Authority.
The manager in charge of Mwea, Innocent Ariemba said the harvest will be an increase from last year’s 120,000 metric tonnes.
“Farmers will reap benefits from their farming due to ready markets as National Cereals and Produce Board and Kenya National Trading Corporation will be buying rice from them,” he said.
Ariemba added that the authority has taken up several measures to ensure enough flow of water into the farms and distilling water canals as they embark on preparations for the second season.
He added that Mwea Rice Growers Multi-purpose Cooperative Sacco and other private rice millers will also be buying rice from farmers.
He noted that in the coming seasons due to the availability of new high-breed seeds, production per acreage will rise to five tonnes. He added that water will be available to all farms from Thiba Dam.
However, Ariemba has revealed that the invasion of apple snails is one of the major challenges facing the Mwea Irrigation Scheme.
He said the government has not managed to control the menace which has affected many farmers.
Ariemba said that despite the launch of a pilot project to eradicate the snails, the pesticides have not been effective forcing farmers to use cultural methods such as management of water levels to fight them.
Mwea Irrigation Settlement Scheme is located in Kirinyaga County and falls within two sub counties; Mwea East and Mwea West sub counties.
Development of the scheme started in 1954 from the Tebere section with about 65 acres in irrigation farming and has since grown to the current gazetted area of 30,050 acres.
Out of these, 22,000 acres have been developed for paddy rice production while the remaining area is utilised for settlement, public utilities and growing of subsistence crops.