Kenya is developing a seed system for rice production in order to bridge the deficit gap of importation, which is currently at 85 per cent.
The Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) Director General Dr Eliud Kireger said that they have partnered with the Korean Government, who are supporting the seed system looking at certified quality seed.
The DG, who was speaking during a one-day symposium to discuss rice production in Nairobi, said the consumption of rice is going up because of the younger generation, who are not very much interested in 'Ugali." "We have some local varieties that we have developed here, but the Koreans have very good quality and high-yielding rice varieties, and therefore we are testing those varieties and then introducing them to Kenya," Dr Kireger said.
He added that the development of a facility in KALRO Mwea will see the production of certified seeds for the farmers, but also areas like Coast, Ahero, and Nyanza will also be incorporated. "The key thing here today is to concentrate on how we can empower our farmers to increase their production from the current 2.5 to 3 tonnes per hectare to 4.5-5, up to 7 hectares," he added.
