Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya has reiterated the strategic role the region plays in the production of Rice and Fish, which are highlighted as key staples in the Government’s Big 4 Agenda. – By Gerald Gekara.
Speaking in Busagwa Primary School in Budalangi Constituency where he commissioned tractors and other Machinery to Bunyala Irrigation Cooperative Society, CS Munya noted that rice, currently the third most important cereal crop after maize and wheat, had the potential to create much-needed employment for the youth in the region with the adoption of new technologies and mechanization in the rice value chain.
With the new equipment, Bunyala Irrigation Cooperative Society will surpass the current rice production on 2100 acres of land with an annual value of Kshs. 110 million.
“We don’t need to be importing rice”, said the CS, “From these statistics, we have a deficit of close to 986,000 metric tonnes with the deficit being imported from Pakistan and other countries.”
About 80% of rice grown in Kenya is from Government established irrigation schemes, while the remaining 20% is produced under rain-fed conditions.
The Ministry is now implementing sustainable agricultural intensification, mechanization, expansion, and marketing strategies to bridge this gap.
CS Munya noted that these efforts presented numerous opportunities for the youth, urging that they take advantage and contribute to the economic development of their counties and the food security of the nation.
He called upon the private sector to support mechanization and expansion of rice production in the region by an additional 11,000 acres.
