KENYA – Kenya is set to implement measures to cut rice imports by developing a sustainable certified seed production system, a crucial step towards achieving rice self-sufficiency in the country.
This initiative is being spearheaded by the Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) in collaboration with the Korea Partnership for Innovative Agriculture (KOPIA).
Kenya imports up to 75 percent of its rice requirements, a reliance the new project aims to reduce. Over a five-year period, the collaboration will focus on producing early-generation seeds, multiplying elite varieties, and distributing them to farmers nationwide.
The ambitious project will generate 5.8 tonnes of early-generation seed and 1,000 tonnes of certified Generation 1 seeds of high-yielding, climate-resilient varieties. Additionally, it will train 75 local technical experts, 10 experts in South Korea, and 210 farmers in quality rice seed production.
Speaking at the project launch in Mwea, KALRO Director General Dr. Eliud Kireger highlighted the pressing need for this initiative.
“Rice consumption is increasing, especially among young people. With the urban population expected to reach 50 percent by 2050, the demand for rice will significantly outpace supply,” said Dr. Kireger.
He noted that the current per capita rice consumption in Kenya is 28 kg per year, projected to rise to 30 kg by 2027, leading to a demand of 1.8 million tonnes.
Presently, Kenya consumes about 950,000 to one million tonnes of rice annually but produces only 200,000 tonnes, resulting in an 80 percent deficit.
To address this, the government aims to achieve a 25 percent annual growth rate in rice production under its Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
Dr. Kireger expressed optimism that the project could reduce the rice deficit by up to 60 percent within four to five years through improved access to high-yielding certified seeds.
KOPIA will enhance rice research by introducing and commercializing Tongil rice varieties from the Korea Africa Food and Agriculture Cooperative Initiative (KAFACI), including ISRIZ 6, ISRIZ 7, and UKAFACI 39. The project will also tackle mechanization challenges faced by farmers, particularly in drying processes.
Ji Gang Kim, KOPIA Kenya Director, emphasized increasing rice self-sufficiency through new varieties, certified seed dissemination, and improved cultivation technology. He also stressed the need for better drying and post-harvest management to ensure high-quality rice.
John Macharia, a rice farmer from Bura, Tana River, praised KALRO for addressing seed access challenges. “Since introducing the Komboka variety, we’ve improved our yields and eliminated brokers dictating prices,” he said.
KALRO and KOPIA have a long-standing collaboration spanning over 15 years on various projects, including maize, indigenous chicken, potato, and sericulture. They are currently promoting chicken feeds containing black soldier fly larvae and rice by-products in Kenya.
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