Kenya, Korea join hands to boost rice production

A group of women collects paddy rice in Siaya. [Olivia Odhiambo, Standard] Kenya is seeking to boost rice production in partnership with the Korean government, in response to the growing demand for rice consumption as younger generations increasingly shift away from the traditional staples like ugali. Currently, the country imports over 85 per cent of the rice it consumes, with local production remaining minimal. It is against this backdrop that the 2025 KOPIA International Symposium, held under the theme, Improving Rice Seed Production System in Africa, sought to explore strategies that would boost domestic rice production. Eliud Kireger, Director General of the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (Kalro), explains the Korean government is supporting Kenya in developing a robust seed system for rice production. He emphasises that an increase in rice production requires a strong focus on high-quality and certified seeds. "Although Kenya has developed some local varieties, the Koreans have very good quality and high-yielding rice varieties. We are currently testing these varieties before we officially introduce them to the market," he says. Kireger revealed that the seed production facilities have already been established at Kalro Mwea, and the main goal is to empower farmers so as to increase their yields from the current 2.5 tonnes to three tonnes per hectare, to between 4.5 and seven tonnes per hectare. He explains, "To bridge the gap created by importing over 85 per cent of our rice, a lot of work has to go into it. So the facilities we are developing jointly with the Korean government include state-of-the-art rice production fields, as well as infrastructure for seed production, cleaning and storage." He added that the investment worth around Sh2 billion covers research, land preparation, storage facilities, seed cleaning equipment and post-harvest handling, to be implemented over a five-year period. Kireger explains, the investment focuses on two main areas. First, the development of facilities for producing Kenya's local rice varieties and second, the testing of new varieties that could complement existing ones. He reveals, although Komboka is currently the most preferred variety, preferences may shift over time as consumer tastes evolve. In July, the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Mutahi Kagwe, through a gazette notice, allowed importation of 500,000 metric tonnes of duty-free, grade one milled white rice by December 31. This triggered numerous complaints from farmers, who stated that they still had large stocks of unsold rice in their stores. The farmers then filed a petition in court seeking to halt the implementation of the gazette notice until their existing stock was cleared. In response, a High Court sitting in Kerugoya issued a ruling that allowed the government to partially implement the notice. The court reduced the importation window from six months to three and capped the allowable quantity at 250,000 metric tonnes. Imports will now only be permitted until October 31. Hillary Muriuki, a rice farmer in Mwea since 1996, believes that Kenyan farmers have the capacity to produce enough rice, not only to meet national demand but also to export to other markets. However, for this to happen, he explains, the government must restrict rice imports. "When you go to Mwea or Kisumu, you will see farmers stuck with unsold rice, yet, the government still allows rice imports. The allowed tax-free imports makes imported rice cheaper than what we produce locally," he complains. As a result, Muriuki adds, local rice, especially from small-scale farmers, often goes unsold. Only those with access to markets or networks manage to sell. He emphasises that many customers simply go for the cheaper option. As long as it's rice, people don't care where it comes from. That's what he says is hurting farmers like him. He explains that the support should include increased financing towards research at Kalro Centre in Mwea. "Farmers also need access to quality seeds, training on new rice varieties and effective pest control methods. If we're given these tools, we can meet national demand," he says. Dr Ruth Musila, Centre Director at Kalro Mwea and Principal Investigator of Kalro-KOPIA project, revealed that through it, they have selected three good varieties which include Ukafaci 39, ISRIZ 6 and ISRIZ 7. "Currently, these varieties are under the National Performance Trial Season 1. And we are going to do another season, maybe from October this year, so that by next year, January, we will have results from the National Performance Trials," she explains. She adds, "These varieties are very high yielding compared to what we have. The current improved varieties have yields of about six to seven tonnes. But new ones can yield around seven to 7.5 tons per hectare." Musila notes that the new rice varieties can also be cultivated under both irrigated and rain-fed lowland conditions. Rice is the third most important staple food among the cereals. She explains that with the introduction of the new varieties, Kenya aims to achieve 30 per cent self-sufficient in rice production by the end of the project. Dr Eunha Yoo, the Director at Division for KOPIA, at Rural Development Administration in Korea (RDA) said that she understands that in Kenya, rice demand is increasing at an average annual rate of 12 per cent, while self-sufficiency rate remains low at only 19 per cent. "In Kenya, we are focusing on improving rice productivity through the production of certified Korean seeds and the introduction of high-yielding varieties under the Africa K-Ricebelt project initiative, part of the Rice Seed Production Improvement in Africa (RiceSPIA) project," says Eunha says that through these efforts, they're optimistic to make a significant contribution to enhancing varietal diversity and production stability in Kenya. "Seed production area has been expanded to 30 hectares this year, with plans to distribute over 135 tonnes of seed to farmers. As a result, rice productivity per household is projected to increase by 10 to 15 per cent, ultimately contributing to a higher national rice self-sufficiency rate in the long term," she explains. Hyung-shik Kang, the Korean Ambassador, says agricultural cooperation has been a critical component of the growing diplomatic relationship between Kenya and Korea since 1964. "In recognition of this, we organised for this important symposium on improving the rice seed production system in Africa," he says. Since its establishment in 2009, Hyung explain that KOPIA Kenya Centre has implemented several agricultural technology cooperation projects. He says, "One of our flagship initiatives is the Rice PIA Project, which focuses on improving rice seed production in Africa. Last year alone, we successfully produced 35 rice seed varieties totalling over 30 tons at the Mwea Centre." The K-Ricebelt project supports the establishment of a high-yielding rice seed production and distribution system based on a unified rice variety across seven African countries: Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Ghana, Cameroon, Uganda, and Kenya. Starting with a pilot production of around 2,000 tonnes of rice seed in 2023, the project achieved 3,562 tons in 2024, which was 108percent of the target. From 2027, the goal is to produce and distribute 10,000 tonnes of rice seeds annually across these seven countries.

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