Change your eating habits, says Koskei

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei. Mr Koskei also announced that the cost of fertiliser is set to go down in the next two years as the government had identified an investor to build a manufacturing plant in Eldoret town in Uasin Gishu County. PHOTO/FILE

What you need to know:

  • “We are also encouraging alternative foods which do well in arid areas. Crops such as Millet, Sorghum, Sweet potatoes and Cassava are able to withstand harsh conditions. It is important to shift attention to drought resistant crops due to the reality of global climate change,” he said.
  • Irrigation is at the centre of the government’s long term plan for ensuring food security in the country, with dozens of projects already underway in various counties.

Kenyans should change their feeding habits to ensure the country has enough food, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mr Felix Koskei said Tuesday.

“When we talk about hunger in Kenya, we are basically referring to maize shortage. We need to change our feeding habits and recognise other sources of carbohydrates such as potatoes, rice and cassava,” he said.

Mr Koskei was briefing the media in his office in Nairobi on the food supply status in the country.

“We want to hit a target of two million bags of maize by the next harvest. We have surpassed the deficit of 720,000 bags,” he said.

Last year, Uasin Gishu county, a leading maize producer, harvested 20 per cent less than normal.

“About 142,000 tonnes of fertiliser have been imported and there are plans to add between 200,000 and 250,000 tonnes,” the Minister added.

MECHANIZED IRRIGATION

“We are also encouraging alternative foods which do well in arid areas. Crops such as Millet, Sorghum, Sweet potatoes and Cassava are able to withstand harsh conditions. It is important to shift attention to drought resistant crops due to the reality of global climate change,” he said.

Irrigation is at the centre of the government’s long term plan for ensuring food security in the country, with dozens of projects already underway in various counties.

“We want to have irrigation schemes in every county. Last year alone, we launched 76 small scale irrigation schemes on pieces of land ranging between 500 and 2,000 acres in size,” he said.

The Ministry also has an ongoing National Expanded Irrigation Program in areas such as Mwea, Ahero, Perkerra, South Kano and Hola among others.

In Bura, the water conveyance system is being changed to start using gravity instead of the traditional pumping. This will save on power costs previously incurred in the mechanized irrigation system.

“We also want to expand the Bura project to 20,000 acres. We have to have attained 6,000 acres by 2015. In Hola, National Irrigation has cleared about 1,000 acres. This will later be expanded to 3,000 acres,” said Mr Koskei.

A Sh.11 billion dam project is being tendered to supply water to Mwea irrigation scheme and the adjoining canals. Mwea, Ahero and Kano irrigations schemes will be expanded for rice production while Perkera is being expanded for maize production.

“We expect a good harvest despite the delayed onset of rains this year,” the CS said.