The government has assured rice farmers in the Lake Basin region that it is exploring ways of buying stocks still held by small-scale farmers as the country prepares for the expected El Niño rains.
Principal Secretary for East Africa Affairs and Regional Development Caroline Wanjiru Karugu said the move is aimed at protecting farmers from losses while strengthening the country’s food security.
Karugu said some farmers were still holding rice paddy in their homes and granaries, raising the need for interventions to ensure they find a market for their produce.
She said the government was looking into how the stocks could be absorbed as the country prepares for the expected rains and potential disruptions to food production.
“I want to assure them, on behalf of the Government of Kenya, that we are looking into the absorption of rice paddy that could be sitting in their granaries and in their homes,” Karugu said.
She spoke during a tour of the Lake Basin Development Authority, where she inspected the rice milling plant and other development projects.
Karugu said rice had become an important value chain in the Lake Basin region, with more than Sh300 million paid to rice farmers in the area last year.
The authority has processed more than 4,800 metric tonnes of rice, she said, although substantial quantities remain with farmers.
She said the figures demonstrated the potential of the rice value chain to support farmers while contributing to the country's food security.
“We want to ensure that the Republic of Kenya continues being food secure, and we want to thank the people of the Lake Basin region for being integral players in ensuring that Kenya becomes food sufficient and food secure,” she said.
The PS said the government would continue supporting initiatives that create direct economic benefits for communities while improving agricultural production.
She also inspected the authority's Centre of Excellence for Poultry Farming, which she said was designed to promote technology transfer and research.
Karugu said the authority was also working with three youth groups from Kisumu County in the brooding stage of poultry production.
She said such initiatives were intended to transfer knowledge to communities while creating opportunities for young people.
The government is also supporting tree-growing initiatives in the region, with more than 20,000 fruit tree seedlings expected to be distributed to communities as part of the national tree-growing campaign.
