How Kenya can meet local demand for rice
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 2:45
Rice is the third most consumed staple in the country, yet we are not self-sufficient to meet our demand. With a growing population and increase in per capita rice consumption, the government and other policymakers have been left with only a few options to meet future demand for rice; through increased imports and increased productivity.
Our national rice consumption is estimated at 500,000 metric tonnes a year. Despite this being a clear indication of Kenyans uptake of rice as a principal food, our annual production of 100,000 metric tonnes pales in comparison.
According to the National Rice Development Strategy-2, 2019-2030, the annual consumption of rice in Kenya is increasing at a rate of over 12 percent owing to the progressive change in eating habits of Kenyans, especially in urban areas.
This, together with a annual projected population growth rate of 2.7 percent, will mean that the estimated annual national need for rice is expected to reach up to 1,290,000 tonnes by 2030.
Given that Food Security and Nutrition is one of the pillars of the Big Four Agenda which our President is steadfast to implement, increasing the productivity of rice shall form an important component in this pillar. In addition to enhancing food security, it should also alleviate poverty by raising farmer incomes and increase the prospects of creating new jobs in the whole value chain from farm to fork. Investment in the rice sector should therefore become a key priority in the agriculture sector.
The largest rice irrigation scheme in the country is the Mwea Rice Scheme which was started in 1956 during the colonial times when a seed variety from India called the Basmati was planted in the scheme and hence the birth of what is famously known as the Kenya Pishori rice.
Over the years, the scheme has expanded to 30,000 acres. The other rice schemes across the country are the West Kano and Ahero (in Nyanza) and Bunyala. The much anticipated rice scheme in the Tana river under Tarda was a failure from its onset.
So the key question is what has been ailing this sector to scale up production?
The rice sector has always been overseen by the National Irrigation Board (NIB) which falls under the Ministry of Water. This is because of the provision of water under irrigation.
However, in essence the mandate of seed production, varietal development, good farming practice and market linkage should technically be the oversight of the Ministry of Agriculture.
This could possibly be one of the primary reasons why we lost focus on prioritising rice as a strategic food crop. The constant squabbles between the farmers and NIB in the late 1990s due to the political interference of rice marketing in the scheme also created a lethargy in the development of the sector.
To revive this sector, we need to take a multipronged approach which revolves around agronomy and infrastructure development, farmer financing and market linkages. Let us explore each one separately.
Research into new seed development shall remain crucial to ensure farmers get optimal productivity and quality.
The choice of variety is based on its agronomical performance and not economic reasons since varieties like the Pishori when grown in the West Kano and Ahero have proven to be failures due to its microclimate.
In addition, to ensure efficiency, farmers should work in co-operatives and find ways of aggregating their smaller pieces of land to farm commercially as large tracts which can enable mechanisation.
Provision of farm extension services to educate farmers on best farming practices including the appropriate use of farm inputs such as fertiliser and pesticides shall also play a crucial role in productivity.
Finally, there should be a security of source of water for this irrigated crop to perform well. This means that there should be adequate water source from dams and one should not rely on just the river source which frequently get affected by rainfall patterns.
A case in point is how the delay in building the Thiba dam which would serve the Mwea Rice Scheme has greatly affected the growth of this scheme.
Provision of affordable finance is very crucial for the security of the farmer income. Due to the lack of access to this finance, farmers have the tendency of borrowing from shylocks whose exorbitant finance costs makes it prohibitive for farmers to earn anything for their hard work.
Abject poverty
Many farmers also find it more attractive to lease out their pieces of land rather than farm for the same low income expectation.
In addition to finance, well-structured crop insurance can also protect the farmer from the vagaries of weather and disease leading to crop failures which wipes out the farmer’s income and sets them back into abject poverty.
There’s need to work in co-operatives which will also improve the bargaining of farmers to purchase farm inputs as well as obtaining finance from banks.
The adoption of the warehouse receipting programme also ensures farmers obtain finance for their produce once harvested in a formalised structure and have the flexibility of trading in their produce at their free will when the timing and pricing is right.
The third component is market linkages. Without a market for their produce at the right price, it is an exercise in futility for the farmer.
Except for a portion of the crop which the farmer can keep for their subsistence use, there has to be a surety of market for the remainder of their produce.
