Tana River’s Bura makes comeback in cotton hoping for turnaround in fortunes

National Irrigation Board Agronomist James Kirigia inspects a cotton pilot farm at Bura Irrigation Scheme. [PHOTO: PATRICK ALUSHULA/STANDARD]

Bura and Hola irrigation schemes in Tana River County are trying their hands at cotton growing again with hope of reviving the dwindling fortunes of the crop.

According to agronomists from National Irrigation Board (NIB) the schemes are piloting the crop afresh with plans to scale up production. This is aimed at recapturing the golden ages when the two schemes used to command 40 per cent of the cotton produced in Kenya.

Speaking to the Press during on-site visit to the cotton farms in the two schemes, the agronomists said that buoyed by the nature of soils in the region and water from River Tana, the two schemes still have the potential to uplift the region’s economy.

Investor

According to Eng Josiah Gathuni, the scheme manager for Hola Irrigation Scheme, a Turkish firm is already in the area piloting for the crop.

“The project is very ambitious. The investor wants to contract farmers in the scheme on 3,000 acres. He says he wants 12,000 acres for this crop since 3,000 is just a quarter of his requirement,” said Gathuni.

In what could be a relief for residents in Kenya’s oldest irrigation schemes, the investor plans to construct ginneries so that the process of separating seeds from harvested cotton can be done right at the scheme.

The ultimate goal, according to Gathuni, is to have textile industries in the county so that the investor creates more value to the locals in terms of employment. This will come as blessing to the farmers who had lost contract to grow and supply maize seeds to Kenya Seeds Company. They were also supplying cowpeas and green gram seeds to other companies.

“We had an agreement with AFC (Agricultural Finance Corporation) and Kenya Seeds Company that once we produce, the farmers deliver the seeds and pay loans. But they resorted to black market to avoid loans” explained the on-site engineer.

However, AFC Manger in Bura, Jackson Haro told The Standard that the farmers have regrouped and agreed to honour obligations to AFC both in Bura and Hola so that cotton becomes a success story once again.
“For cotton, we give Sh46,100 for every one and half acre plot in every harvest season. Our expectation is to enable farmers to be producing three seasons in a year for various crops including cotton, green grams, maize, and water melons,” he said.

Currently, there are 3,000 acres allocated to famers in Hola but this can comfortably be extended to of 4,700 acres. However, overall, the scheme has extension capacity of 12,500 acres if new infrastructure to abstract water from River Tana is set up.
To achieve this, the scheme is now through with the design stage of setting up a gravity intake to phase out the expensive diesel pump system.

“The design has been completed and we are now looking for funds to implement through exchequer. If we can manage public-private partnership it will be even better,” said Eng Gathuni.

This will match the ongoing project in Bura Irrigation scheme where a contractor is already putting up a gravity intake at Sh7.3 billion. The plan is to abandon diesel pump intake that costs Sh3 million every month by March next year.
In Bura, the sight of cotton on a pilot 500 acres, about three months away from harvest also offers hope.