The African Agricultural Technology Foundation and Agri All Africa have collaborated to improve rice productivity in Kenya.
AATF executive director Dr Canisius Kanangire said through the partnership agreement, the two organisations will undertake capacity building for various stakeholders.
The stakeholders include seed companies, agro dealers and farmers in the hybrid rice value chain to improve the productivity of the crop in the country.
“This agreement will go a long way in helping farmers improve their yields using new and better crop varieties. We will collaborate in rice value chain activities with the aim of achieving rice self-sufficiency in Kenya,” he said in a statement.
Kanangire said the two organisations share a common concern for the welfare of resource poor smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa.
"We recognise that they can work together to help the farmers improve their crop yields and income,” he said.
According to the National Rice Development Strategy 2019-2030, by the Ministry of Agriculture, rice has become the third most important cereal crop after maize and wheat, since its introduction in 1907 in Kenya. It is grown in 23 counties in the country.
“Due to the progressive change in eating habits of Kenyans, particularly in more urban areas, the annual consumption of rice is increasing at a rate of over 12 per cent in the country,” data from the ministry shows.
The national rice consumption is estimated at 949,000 tonnes compared to an annual production of 180,000 tonnes.
With a projected population growth rate of 2.7 per cent per year, the estimated annual national need can reach up to 1,290,000 tonnes by 2030,” data from the ministry shows.
According to the economic survey, rice per capita consumption in Kenya from 2008-2018 increased from 12.7 to 20.6kg due to increase in population and change in eating habits.
Rice imports account for 90 per cent of this consumption valued at Sh26 billion.
The crop was introduced in Kenya in 1907 from Asia. About 80 per cent of rice grown in Kenya is from irrigated ecologies established by the government and communities, while the rest is produced under rain-fed conditions.
AATF Rice project manager Dr Kayode Sani said over the years, production has been on a downward trend leaving farmers disillusioned.
This has been attributed to infestation by pests and diseases, overuse of farmlands, low input application due to rising prices and reduced water flow and dryspells.
Sani said several varieties including PWAN gold, AH18007 and AH18004, have already been rolled out to the farmers through private seed producers, national and international research institutes.
The move is aimed at establishing functional African demand-driven rice value chain.
He said Africa currently has a rice deficit of 16.7 million tonnes, being met through imports worth over Sh1 trillion (US$7 billion).
This constitutes a huge loss of the continent’s foreign exchange reserves, and that hybrid rice varieties are seen as key to bridging this gap.
AAA director Priscilla Dimakatso said farmers are going to get higher yield through the use of hybrid rice to make them more profitable and also contributing to meeting the food security objective of Kenya.
