A new drought-resistant rice variety has rekindled hope among farmers in Hola of better times ahead, with the first harvest surpassing their expectations.
The rice variety, komboka, can withstand the area’s semi-arid climate and has better yields compared to other varieties.
Introduced just last season, the komboka yields are already proving to be worth the investment, farmers said.
“It’s beyond our wildest dreams. I have been a farmer in this irrigation scheme for more than 20 years and I could never have imagined that rice could save the day,” said Mr John Asumbi.
He added that the variety had also withstood the quelea bird menace. He said rice farming had proved to be the best bet.
“I’ve done maize and cotton on this farm; maize failed me most, cotton was fairly good until it was hit by poor prices. Both cost me huge capital [outlay] but failed to fetch a good market, unlike rice, which has a market at my doorstep,” he said.
Ms Elizabeth Mugure, a Mwea rice farming migrant, said that the Hola Irrigation Scheme is still virgin in terms of rice production.
She noted that with soil structure that has not been tampered with, rice output at the scheme will uplift many farmers at the scheme from poverty.
“There’s hope here, and as you can see, the entire farm looks lively compared to the days before rice. It’s going to get busier every season,” she said.
The Hola scheme has been known for cotton and maize production, leading to the establishment of a cotton ginnery.
However, the ginnery collapsed following a shortage of cotton after farmers abandoned the crop due to poor prices.
The farmers have since been trying their hand at maize, onions, green grams, cowpeas and fish farming with little success.
Currently, 400 farmers are engaged in crop production at the scheme, with about 1,200 acres under rice.
According to scheme manager Peter Kirimi, the yield averages 30 to 35 bags per acre.
“There is no doubt that this production has revived the hopes of commercial farming to the local farmers and they are likely to return,” he said.
