Kenya steps up oilseed farming drive to cut import bill
The government is urging farmers to grow sunflower and soybean to reduce heavy spending on imported food and oils.
KENYA – Kenya is pushing for more local production of oil crops as it seeks to cut a food import bill that now stands at about Ksh 500 billion (US$3.85billion).
Speaking at the Kilimo Biashara Expo 2026 in Thika, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the country must grow more of what it consumes.
Kenya uses about 600,000 metric tonnes of edible oils each year, yet imports meet over 90 percent of this demand. In 2022 alone, these imports cost about KSh 145 billion (US$1.12billion).
“The idea here is to try and increase productivity and encourage farmers, particularly young farmers, to see that you do not need a lot of land to make some serious money from farming,” Kagwe said.
Focus on local production
Kagwe said the government is working with researchers to ensure farmers access better crop varieties and farming methods. Scientists at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation have developed sunflower and soybean varieties that can handle changing weather and still give good yields.
He warned that heavy reliance on imports exposes the country to global risks. “If a war breaks out in a region from which we import wheat, we could suddenly find ourselves without supply. That is why we must grow these crops ourselves,” he said.
Dr Alice Murage, Deputy Director General in charge of crops research at KALRO, said the agency is training farmers on how to grow oil crops and earn from them. “We train our farmers about our technologies and more so how they can be able to make money out of them,” she said.
Murage added that farmers can help cut imports if they adopt these crops at scale. “These are local plants that we have here in Kenya that if farmers embrace and plant in large quantities, we can produce edible oils locally,” she said.
Building on recent efforts
The current push builds on earlier efforts led by the Agriculture and Food Authority. In 2023, the agency launched the Edible Oil Crops Promotion Project worth KSh 981 million (US$7.55M). The project aims to raise local production and reduce the edible oil import bill, which stood at KSh 160 billion (US$1.23billion).
Kenya now produces only about 34 percent of its edible oil needs. In 2023, the country imported 720,000 tonnes valued at about KSh 99 billion (US$761million).
Through seed distribution, training, and support for farmers, the government hopes to increase local supply to at least half of national demand by 2028. Officials say this plan could also create jobs and offer new income streams, especially for young people.
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