VP woos China to modernise Kenya's agriculture

Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has urged China to invest in the modernisation of agriculture in Kenya.

Mr Musyoka who paid a courtesy call to the Chinese Vice President Mr Xin Ping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing before attending the opening ceremony of the China-Africa Agricultural Forum, said there was need for Chinese firms to invest in the setting up of farm machinery manufacturing plants in Kenya that would serve both Kenya and the 120 million people in the East African Common Market.

He also called for technology transfer in irrigation farming, seed technology, and mechanization of agricultural production as well as agro-processing for value addition.

Mr Jin Ping said his country places a high priority in its economic cooperation with Africa and that Kenya was a critical partner in East Africa.

Mr Musyoka briefed his counterpart on passage of a new constitution adding that Kenya now required the goodwill of her development partners including China to roll out the reforms that go hand in hand with the implementation of the new constitution.

Speaking at the agricultural forum which brought together leaders from Zimbabwe, Sudan, Angola, Ethiopia, Senegal, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo with ministries of agriculture, foreign affairs and commerce of China, the VP said: “Kenya wants to draw lessons from China which has limited arable land yet is able to feed her 1.3 billion inhabitants.”

He said that was why Kenya, as part of its Vision 2030 program is shifting from rain fed agriculture to irrigation.

“There is absolutely a strong case for constructing dams and investing in water harvesting techniques to be able to have sufficient water resources to produce enough food for Kenyans and attain surplus for export,” Mr Musyoka who is accompanied by Agriculture assistant minister Kareke Mbiuki and Kenya’s deputy ambassador to China Silas Kiragu said.

The VP called on Chinese companies to import cut flowers from Kenya as well as other horticultural products to correct the trade imbalance that is currently hugely in favour of China.

Mr Musyoka asked more Chinese people to visit Kenya as tourist saying the current figure of 20,000 a year was too small considering the large population of China. “The economic prosperity of China in the last 20 years means far more Chinese can today afford to travel anywhere in the world as tourists. We urge you to make magical Kenya your preferred destination.”

Mr Wang Jiarui the Minister for International Department, Central Committee of the Communist Party of China said his country was following up on the implementation of the resolutions arising out of the fourth ministerial conference on forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt last year where China committed 10 billion dollars to help in the development of agriculture, infrastructure, energy and human resource capacity in Africa.

The VP’s visit to China is a follow up of one by President Kibaki in where he sought Chinese help in the construction of a second port in Lamu, standard gauge railway line connecting Lamu, Southern Sudan and Ethiopia as well as mass transport, light rail system for Nairobi city.

Mr Musyoka also sent a message of condolence from the people of Kenya to the people of China following devastating floods that have hit several provinces leading to several hundred deaths and infrastructural damage exceeding 210 billion Chinese Yuan.