New state-driven business opportunities for rice farmers
Joel Tanui, a senior scheme manager at the Ahero Research Station of the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) in Kisumu. He says the government has provided great opportunities for farmers to add value to their rice through the presidential directive on purchase of local produce. PHOTO | ELIZABETH OJINA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The biggest setback has been the high cost of production but with the presidential directive setting better local prices, the sub-sector is set to change for the better as net margins improve.
Birds and mostly the quelea have been dominant in the rice fields due to the proximity of their natural habitat (swamps and riverine bushes).
The presidential directive came in at the most desperate time in the rice sub-sector, where brokers and importers dictated prices and quality.
Reducing or banning rice imports is not an immediate solution since our production is low as compare to consumption.
Joel Tanui is a senior scheme manager at the Ahero Research Station of the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) in Kisumu. Elizabeth Ojina spoke to him on why the crop is yet to change many farmers’ fortunes and the existing opportunities for growers
Kenya gets nearly all its rice from the Far East, specifically Pakistan, which accounts for 74 per cent of the total imports. With the high importation, is rice growing a profitable venture in the country?
