Agriculture pulls a first to register highest growth

By NICHOLAS WAITATHU

KENYA: Agriculture has defied odds to emerge the leading sector after recording the highest growth in 2012 production year.  The sector recorded a growth rate of 3.8 per cent in 2012, compared to a suppressed growth of 1.5 per cent in 2011.

Building and construction sector took the second position by registering a growth of 4.8 per cent in 2012 compared to growth of 4.3 per cent in 2011. Launching the Economic Survey 2013, on Thursday Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru said the performance of different agriculture sub-sectors varied mainly on account of delayed long rain across the ecological zones.

Wheat industry produced 162,700 tonnes accounting a 53.6, coffee recorded a 35 per cent growth representing 49,000 tonnes. The sector registered 40 million bags of maize, an increase of 16.3 per cent while rice farmers produced 83,600 tonnes of rice accounting to 4.2 per cent.

While fresh horticultural produce registered a decrease of 4.9 per cent and tea industry with recorded a decrease of 2.2 per cent.  “The long and short rains were erratic with some regions experiencing above normal rains while other parts experienced depressed rainfall,” Waiguru said.

Production was mainly affected by adverse weather conditions characterised by frost attack in some tea growing regions. She said the volume of marketed coffee registered an increase of 35 per cent while prices contracted by 47 per cent owing to unfavourable international prices.

“Prices of maize, wheat, tea, sugarcane, livestock, and livestock products increased during the year under review while prices of pyrethrum, and cotton registered declines,” she observed.

During the period under review, agriculture value added at constant prices increased by 3.8 per cent from Sh312 billion in 2011 to Sh3232.9 billion in 2012.